Just Deal
by Clockwork Mockingbird
Summary: Okay, so I married this guy from a different country to stop a war. In the middle of making friends, making enemies, putting people in jail, pissing off his council, matchmaking, and getting kidnapped, I fell in love with him. Damn it all. SxS AU
1. Chapter One of My Life

I first knew I was going to get married two days before it happened. I had no choice in the matter. But I guess I should have expected it. My family is pretty prestigious in Konoha, and I was the oldest unmarried child.

See, there was a war about to start between my village and another, Sound. My council and Sound's council got together and brainstormed on how to nip the war in the bud and save several lives on both fronts. After three or four weeks of negotiating, they came up with a solution.

The best way to avoid a war is to join two villages in an alliance. The best way to do that is to take a prestigious family from either side, search until you find an unmarried, decent looking human being and make them marry someone of the opposite sex and side of said war.

I happened to be the human being they chose.

I should have done something. Kicked up a fuss. Shaved my head. Plead mental instability and drooled all over myself. But I didn't.

So that's how I found myself walking down the aisle in a borrowed kimono toward a man I had never laid eyes on before in my life, with people I didn't know on either side of me. Possibly to keep me from turning tail and running as fast as I could towards the nearest exit. Which, believe me, I was dying to do.

But I had to marry this man. I was going to stop a war. I was going to save countless lives with this marriage. It was a small price to pay to make sure all the people I loved stayed alive.

I lifted my gaze from the floor and studied the man I was walking toward.

My first thought? 'Damn. He's _hot_.'

And he was. He had the whole, tall, dark, and handsome thing going for him. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a mouth that was trying really hard not to frown. I wasn't too pleased to see him either, but, hey, at least he was good looking.

I stole glances at him all through the ceremony. This was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with, whether I liked it or not, and I so did not. But my people would be safe. People here wouldn't have to march into war. Families would stay together. Lives would be saved.

It was that thought that let me speak loud and clear.

"I do."

My name was Haruno Sakura. I had just married Uchiha Sasuke. I didn't know him and he didn't know me, but together we had just saved thousands of lives by sacrificing the rest of ours.

I tried to convince myself it was worth it but the truth was, I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. And no matter how good looking he was, I was determined to hate my new husband.

As soon as I stopped feeling so sorry for myself.

"Hi," a voice said. I looked up.

A blonde man was standing in front of me, grinning.

"Hi?" People had been glaring at me from a distance, so I was suspicious of someone who was actually smiling. Weren't you supposed to cry at weddings?

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He extended his hand. I took it carefully.

"I'm Haru-" I caught myself. "Uchiha Sakura."

Naruto smiled like he understand. He was still pumping my hand. With the other one, he made a swoop around the courtyard where we were standing. Where I had just gotten married.

"This," he said theatrically, "is Uchiha Manor, home of several different clans, one really uptight council, and one bastard."

I tactfully removed my hand. "A bastard huh?"

"Yup." His face went serious. "And I'm sorry to report that you, Sakura, have just married him."

I laughed.

"I'll get over it." I looked around. "Uchiha Manor, huh?"

"You're an Uchiha now, so everything here that belongs to Sasuke also belongs to you."

"Really." Somehow I doubted that anyone would treat me the same way they treated Sasuke. "That's nice."

Naruto tilted his head, studying me. "So, you're from Konoha, right? What's it like there?"

"Really, really green. We call it Leaf because there are leaves everywhere, even in winter."

Naruto laughed a deep laugh that made me think he laughed a lot. He shook his head.

"Well, this is Sound, where there's always noise." He patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Welcome to it."

"Is it really that bad?"

He shrugged. "It takes some getting used to, but it's...." He thought about it for a second. "It's different. They're a lot of things around here that a different and some that are downright bizarre, but most of the time it's okay."

Reassuring, I thought. Naruto waved to someone across the way and left. I watched my new friend, my only friend, walk away. I suddenly felt very lonely. I missed my other friends. I missed Konoha.

Most of all, I missed being where people didn't glare at me. As much as I wanted to, I didn't glare back. I was a stranger in their world. I had no idea what their rules or customs were. They didn't want me anymore than I wanted them.

But we were stuck with each other, and we'd just have to deal with it.

"It's time to go."

I jumped. Sasuke was at my elbow, looking at me with one eyebrow raised, clearly amused. I waited for my heart to stop pounding.

"Go?"

"To our room."

My heart sped up again. Our room. Not his, not mine, our. I was so not ready for this. But I followed him. What choice did I have?

The place was huge. I threw away my dignity and outright gaped, looking everywhere at once, trying to take it all in.

"Oh wow," I breathed. Sasuke halfway turned to me. "This hallway's bigger than my entire house!" I turned a quick circle. The ceiling was twenty feet above my head, and nicer than my walls had been.

"Man, building this must have been a challenge." I half jogged to catch up to Sasuke. "How old is this place?"

"It's been in my family for generations," he said flatly.

There were seven or eight different hallways we walked down. I did my best to remember the way we came, giving up after a few minutes.

I tried to keep quiet- I was clearly annoying my husband of six hours- but his house was really amazing.

"All of this is yours. Every bit of it." He looked at me. "It's surreal. I've never seen anything so big. Even the Hokage's mansion wasn't so large. It's hard to believe that all this," I made another circle, "belongs to one person."

He blinked once. "It's also yours," he reminded me.

My smile faded. "It is, isn't it?"

We looked at each other for a second. I took a deep breath and offered a tiny smile that wasn't returned.

"Be sure to tell me if I overstep any boundaries. I'm not too good at rules."

"Really." He started walking again.

I nodded. "Yeah. If I don't like a rule, I don't follow it."

"Interesting philosophy."

"Not really. It's easier to make people angry than it is to please them, so why bother following rules?"

He gave me an unreadable look. "I thought you were a politics person."

"Exactly."

I swear he chuckled.

* * *

Eventually we made it to our room. Like the rest of the Manor, it was huge. Unlike the rest of the Manor, it was bland. All of the hallways had been elaborately decorated and polished. Expensive handmade portraits hung every few feet or so, and there were flowers in vases on tables everywhere.

Our room was roughly eight hundred feet by eight hundred feet. A double king bed split the room in two. On one side, there was a desk, a changing screen, a dresser, and a small mirror. On the other, was all of my stuff.

My vanity had been set up and cleaned. All of my brushes and hairpins were laid out neatly and by size. My clothes were hanging in the closet according to color.

Someone had unpacked my clothes. That bothered me more than it should have.

"Who set up all my stuff?"

Sasuke glanced up briefly. "Most likely the maids. If you want anything switched around, you'll have to take it up with them."

"No, this is fine." I didn't want to bother anyone so close to midnight.

"The washroom's that way." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "You can have first go."

"Oh. Okay."

It took me a few minutes to find everything I needed, but I managed. I slid the door shut and started to undo the several layers of my kimono. Halfway through, I paused. Though I doubted anyone would come barging in, I reached over and slid the lock before undressing completely.

The shower was amazing. The hot water was actually hot and worked out the tension in my shoulders. I wanted to linger some more, but I didn't know how long the water would stay hot and jumped out after ten minutes.

My toothbrush and the face cream I never used were all laid out on the counter. It still bothered me that someone had gone through all of my stuff.

When I came out, Sasuke was sitting on the bed reading something. He rolled it shut and stood when I wandered over to my vanity.

"Finished?"

"It's all yours," I said to his reflection. I reached for the nearest brush and ran it through my hair. I kept promising I was going to cut it, but I had never got around to it, so it brushed my hips.

_Everybody probably thinks I dyed it_, I thought suddenly. _They're probably talking about it right now._ I tossed the brush down. _Let them think what they want. I don't care._

I wandered around my side of the room. The carpet was soft and felt brand new. My cello was propped against the far corner and I suddenly just had to play.

Playing music had always helped calm me down and I had to do something to keep myself from crying. Not caring if there was anyone nearby, I rosined my bow and began to play.

I had gotten married at four o'clock in the afternoon on May 10. I was twenty-two and in a place where very few people liked me. I was a stranger to my husband, and he was a stranger to me. I played something powerful and strong, trying to turn my self pity into frustration.

I wanted very badly to scream.

Sasuke was on the bed when I stopped playing. Did he always sneak around like that?

"You play well."

"Thanks." I tried not to sound too surprised by the compliment. "I've been playing since I was nine."

"There's a music room a few halls over. You can play there if you want."

I didn't know if he was trying to be nice or telling me that I had to play where he couldn't hear me, so I just nodded.

Sleep seemed a long way away, but I crawled into bed when he turned off the light. Lamps on either side of the bed turned on and I blinked.

"Automatic lights. You'll get used to it."

I think he was trying to be nice, but I couldn't tell. The lamps dimmed down a few times before turning off completely. The bed was really big and I almost couldn't tell anyone was in it with me if I tried.

I was more tired than I thought and fell asleep in my new bed with my new husband. Tomorrow I would meet new people and live in a new place because, like it or not, my new life had begun.

* * *

It so figured my nightmares would start getting worse. From a psychological standpoint, it made sense. I had undergone a drastic change in my lifestyle without a choice. Everything I had ever known was suddenly yanked out from under me in one fell swoop.

After the third night of waking in a cold sweat, holding back a scream, I decided to go exploring. I hadn't seen much of the west side of the manor, and no one had offered to give a tour or a map. I hadn't even seen Naruto.

I really didn't want to wake Sasuke up and have to explain where I was going, so I tried to get dressed as quietly as possible. Naturally, I banged my shin on the dresser on my way out.

It was almost dawn. I could see the faintest glow of pink against the grey sky. I'd slept more than I had the other two nights. That probably had something to do with getting only three hours the night before.

I started turning corners at random. Thanks to my insomnia I'd learned where the important places (dining room, music room, spare bathroom, my room) were, but I was still pretty much lost.

There weren't too many rooms that took my breath away. They were all pretty much the same. The only one that held any interest to me at all was the music room. I spent most of my day in there, avoiding people. The rest of them were just kind of... there. You'd think a place this size would have something else amazing.

I was thinking that when I saw it. An inside garden. The most beautiful garden I had ever seen. There had to be an acre of flowers, all in full bloom and all standing tall and proud. In the far right corner there was a waterfall and a small pond surrounded by stones. Three giant koi fish swam in the water, which so figured. Koi fish were everywhere in rich people's gardens.

I lifted my kimono and wandered down the dirt path. Who had planted all of this?

The path led me to a cherry tree, also in bloom. That figured too. In a garden like this, a blooming cherry tree was a must. Something buzzed and the sound of water splashing reached my ears.

The sprinklers had turned on.

I darted back to the door before I got wet.

"You're up early."

To my credit, I didn't scream. I jumped, but I didn't scream. I whirled around and came face to face with Naruto.

"What is it with people and sneaking around here?" I demanded. My heart decided to beat again after a few seconds.

Naruto gave me an impish grin.

"Aw, did I scare you Sakura-chan? Are you afraid of big bad Naruto-kun?"

I gave him my fiercest glare. "Can it, Naruto-_kun_, before I slug you." He just laughed.

"You don't look so good," he said, peering at my face.

"Gee, thanks," I said dryly. "That means so much."

"Have you been sleeping?"

It wasn't any of his business, but I told him anyway. I had to talk to somebody or I'd go crazy.

"Nightmares. I get them a lot."

"Nightmares? What do you have nightmares about?"

I made myself go numb. Instantly, my palms were sweating and I had to blink back tears.

"Nothing. Just forget it."

He looked like he was going to say more, but something in my face must have stopped him. Instead, he took me by the elbow and lead me down the hall.

"Come eat breakfast with me."

"This early?"

"Oh, yeah. The cooks have to get up super early to make enough food for all the people here. I bet they got up an hour ago."

He was right. And even though I thought I had been the first one to rise, there were ten or so people already in the dining room.

I inhaled deeply. "I smell coffee."

Coffee was my best friend. Caffeinated tea ran a close second. I wasn't much of a morning person, but being tired was a lot more appealing than having nightmares every night.

A girl with twin buns on her head and a pretty dark blue kimono waved us over. The table in front of her had the food laid out in the middle. There was a coffee pot every third chair.

"Hey, Tenten."

"Hi Naruto." She looked at me. "I know you."

"She married The Bastard."

A light bulb went off over her head. "Right, right. Sakura, isn't it?"

"That's me."

She hooked the chair next to her with her foot and slid it out. I sat down and reached for the coffee. A maid shuffled past a put a plate in front of me.

I glanced at the platter on the other side of Tenten.

"Is that bacon?"

She nudged the platter within reach. I managed to grab two slices before Naruto shoved the rest in his mouth. Tenten made a face.

"Do you ever stop eating?"

He didn't answer. His mouth was too full.

Then the door slid open again. A pale girl with light eyes and dark hair spilling down her back silently stepped in. How did everyone walk so quietly? Was it a Sound thing? Or was I missing something?

I munched on my bacon as the girl made her way over.

"Hi, Hinata."

Naruto choked on his bacon. I whacked him one good time on his back and he stopped. Tenten snickered. "Smooth."

"H-Hinata! Hi!"

I arched my brow. Tenten laughed into her mug. She glanced slyly at me and winked.

"N-Naruto-kun. Y-you're up e-early." Her face flushed as she said it.

Naruto laughed too loudly. "Yeah. I just.... I um... yeah. Uh, I'm... I gotta go."

He pushed back his chair noisily and tripped twice on the way out. His face was bright red as he stumbled out the door.

Tenten was grinning. Hinata looked like she was going to pass out and sank heavily into the chair on the other side of Tenten.

"At least you didn't faint this time."

Hinata covered her face with her hands and moaned.

"I don't want to do that ever again," she declared.

Tenten took a swig of her coffee. "You say that now, but you know as well as I do that you'll be in here tomorrow morning, looking for him."

Ah-ha. It was a romance in the making. I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing. I hadn't known him long, but Naruto didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd get it when a girl was in love with him, even if he was in love with her too.

Hinata peered at me through her fingers.

"You're Uchiha Sakura, correct?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "That's me." Like it or not.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

"The one who's desperately in love with Naruto," Tenten chimed in.

Hinata squeaked and hid her face again.

"Tenten's in love with my cousin," she whispered.

Immediately, Tenten's cheeks flushed pink. Hinata seemed to be smirking behind her hands.

I looked at one, then the other.

"Which one of you is the lesser evil?"

Tenten sighed. "We're not entirely sure."

We were friends by my third cup of coffee. Hinata was the Hyuuga heiress, who had lived in Konoha until she was twelve. I had never seen her before in my life.

"I lived a sheltered life," she said when I mentioned this.

Tenten snorted. "Lived?"

Hinata pursed her lips. "My father is... controlling of me. He thinks I can't make good choices on my own."

"Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "Who's to say? Maybe I wouldn't make good choices. Maybe I'd make several mistakes. Maybe I need him to control me."

"Yeah, but how would you know?"

They both looked at me.

"How would you know what choices you'd make until you had to make them? You can't learn," I told them, "without living."

They were quiet for a second as that sank in. Women didn't have a lot of power in Sound. The higher authority in families often rested with the men, and women were sometimes seen as weak.

I hadn't even lived in the place for a month and I already knew that that was going to be a problem.

"Just how different is Konoha?" Tenten asked me.

"Very. Power was determined by rank, and rank was decided based on skills alone. No one was singled out because of sex or race. Our Hokage is Tsunade and, so far, she's proved to be a great leader." I leaned around Tenten to look Hinata in the eye. "She radically changed the perspective of several people in my village. She outlawed discrimination. It's because of her my family became so well known."

Hinata was leaning toward me. "How do you mean?"

"People assume my father did something great, but really, it was me." I tapped my temple. "I'm the smartest medical ninja in Konoha." I sighed. "Or, rather, I was. Here though, it seems I'm back to square one."

Now Tenten was leaning in.

"What did you do? Discover something?"

I leaned back and stared at the ceiling far above my head. "You could say that. My first accomplishment was securing a great teacher, then using her training to find my own nitch in the world."

Sasuke was suddenly there, making all three of us jump. I tried to cover my surprise by leaving my face expressionless. I really needed to learn to walk that quietly. Payback was going to be essential.

"You're needed in the courtyard," he informed me. "A member of your family is here."

Now there was no way to cover my shock. I blinked twice, waiting for the punch line.

"I don't have a family."

Now they were all staring at me. I clarified. Hadn't this been in my background check?

"I was the only Haruno." I looked at Sasuke. "Whoever's out there is probably a freeloader after the money I inherited. Tell them to go. I have no desire to see them."

His mouth twisted to one side and he vanished as silently as he had come. It was suddenly very awkward. I took a sip of my coffee and tried to act casual. Tenten let out a breath of air.

"I'm sorry that you had to marry him, but I am _so_ glad that I didn't."

It was lucky I had already swallowed my coffee, otherwise I would have choked on it in surprise.

"Do what?"

Hinata smirked. "It's almost time for Tenten to find out who she's supposed to marry. She almost had a coronary when the council told her she might have to marry Sasuke."

Tenten flushed. "Yeah, well, I'd rather marry someone who I at least know. Sasuke? I don't think he knows my name."

"Not too sure he knows mine either." I blew air through my lips. "It could be worse though. Sasuke leaves me to do my own thing, and I really appreciate that."

And I did. Sasuke pretty much ignored me most of the time, but I didn't care. I filled my free time with music and exploration. If I got restless, then I could just go. I didn't have to clear it with anybody, and it didn't matter if I stayed gone all day.

I really wish I had a job. Then, at least, I could do _some_thing that didn't involve the music room. Only there was nothing for me to do. I owned half of everything in sight and people treated me as if I was invisible.

This arranged marriage was really starting to get on my nerves.

"When will you get married, Hinata?"

"Oh, she's much higher up on the food chain. Picking out her husband is going to take the council a lot longer than finding mine."

"And that means I'm going to be stuck with a really dreary, much older man," Hinata sighed.

"Yeah, but then he'll die and you'll get all his money. I fail to see the downside to that."

I put my chin on fist and studied my two new friends. They didn't strike me as people who would hang out together on a regular basis, but it was clear they were long time friends.

Hinata was soft and quiet and delicate. Tenten was bold and striking and gave off an I-take-life-as-it-comes attitude. I didn't know where I'd fit in the group, but I figured it didn't matter. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen and I'd deal with it. I had so far. What could be worse than a husband who ignores you and having only three friends?

God I was stupid.


	2. Parties Really Suck

If I had known getting married meant going to political parties, I never would have agreed. It's not that I hate parties or anything, it's just that I'm starting to.

By myself I can get ready in about five minutes, eight if I have to do my hair and makeup. But with Anko? That's a different story all together. See, about two months in, I was in the music room, trying to remember how to play the piano.

I hit a few keys experimentally, my mouth twisting to the side in frustration. It seemed like the more time I spent at Uchiha Manor, the more music I wanted to play. That probably had something to do with the fact that I never did anything. I was forced into a marriage to a guy I didn't know and now I was bored out of my mind.

I was starting to think I was a trophy wife. Be seen, not heard, and stay out of our way was the message I was getting. I usually ignore those kinds of messages.

"There's going to be a party tonight."

I jumped, pressing the piano keys and making a horrible sound. Sasuke was behind me, smirking.

"Does _everybody _have to sneak? Why can't they make noise or step on a creaky floorboard so people don't jump out of their skin?"

"Learn to expect the unexpected," he told me.

I narrowed my eyes. "What did you say about a party?"

He seemed to remember why he had scared me in the first place. "It's to welcome you to the Manor, as well as celebrate the new truce between Konoha and Sound."

"When was the truce declared?"

He blinked. "Two weeks ago, give or take a day."

I hadn't been told. My own village was safe from harm and nobody bothered to tell me. That pissed me off something awful.

"Why wasn't I told?"

He acted like he was angry I had even asked. "It wasn't any of your business."

The piano stool creaked when I spun. The floorboards groaned when I stood. "None of my business? I was born in that village. I lived there, loved there, and fought to keep it safe. A war is stopped because I married you-" I jabbed a finger into his chest and gave him a little shove. "-and it's _none of my business?_ I don't know what little fantasy world you live in buddy, but _any _news about Konoha is most definitely my business."

I was yelling at my husband. I had never, ever yelled at someone before. Sure, I had been mad before, but I never shouted. Now, I was on the verge of screaming.

"I sacrificed everything I had to stop this war, and no one bothered to tell me everything's fine? Those are my people, Sasuke. I deserve to know that they're okay."

He snapped and started yelling back.

"They aren't your people anymore. You live here. Those people, right there, _they're _your people. So things aren't like what you're used to, big deal. Not all of got to be spoiled little rich kids. This is your home, and whatever I say, goes. Get used to it because you can't leave."

I stood toe to toe with him. I came to about his nose but I didn't really care.

"This is not my home." Speaking quietly was hard, but seemed to have more of an effect on him. "My home is where I belong. My home is doing what I want, not filling my time with music I can't even remember. You don't like me and I don't like you, but we're stuck together. Do you think I chose this? Do you think I wanted to leave my life behind? I'm here because I will do whatever it takes to keep the people I love safe, and if that means I'm stuck here in this hellhole with you, then so be it."

I didn't leave. I stayed and stared him in the eye and refused to back down. I hated it at the Manor, but I would do whatever I had to in order to keep my village safe. It was my ninja way.

"What are you famous for anyway? Your attitude?"

"My medic skills. My stubbornness runs a close second." I eyed him. "You have to be famous for acting like there's a stick up your ass all the time."

He scowled. "You're annoying."

"And you're an asshole, so I guess that makes us even."

The door banged open. Naruto's gaze bounced between us, trying to decide what we were doing. The air was so heavy with tension I'm surprised he didn't fall down.

"Uh... I can come back later if this is a bad time."

I decided that was my cue to leave. "Have at him. Try to find out who pissed in his coffee this morning." I slammed the door behind me.

Then I stood in the hallway and felt really stupid. Now what? I had no place to go but my room. I had just pissed off the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with, and left him in the only room that I felt safe in.

When I got to my room, I was promptly ambushed by a blurry object with a dark ponytail.

"There you are I was beginning to think you wouldn't show- here sit down- we only have a few hours before you're supposed to be at the party, wow you've got a lot of hair, ever thought about wearing it up?"

I tried to catch my breath. The woman was coming at me with brushes and makeup and talking fifty miles an hour.

"Time out." I held up my hands. "What is going on? Who are you?"

She looked at me like I was a slow four year old. Then she sighed and deflated a little.

"I'm Anko. I'm supposed to make you look decent for the party this evening and we don't have much time so let's get started."

Look decent? I looked at myself in the vanity mirror. My face was red from shouting as Sasuke, and my hair was a little messy, but I could fix that with a brush and some foundation. Two minutes tops.

"When is the party?"

"Six."

I glanced at the clock. It was four fifteen. Sasuke had come to get me at four, so she had only been waiting for fifteen minutes, and she was complaining about not having a lot of time?

"We have two hours," I told her.

"I know! We're going to have to hurry if we're going to get you ready in time so come on, chop chop, there's no time to waste let's go let's go let's go!"

I quickly learned that Anko speaks either in her booming voice at lightspeed or in simple sentences. And it was useless to fight her.

She asked me if I would jump in the shower, but only for five minutes, we're so pressed for time, please dear, just do as I say and this will be as painless as possible.

"Just find a happy place and stay there for a few minutes and try to ignore me, you won't even know I'm here, I think we should forgo the blush, you have such a fair complexion."

I tried very hard to find a happy place.

At five fifty-five, Anko announced that I was done.

I hated the kimono she had shoved me in. It was a mesh of pink and red colors and hung off my shoulders and showed way too much of my cleavage. It dragged on the floor behind me and I just knew I was going to trip on it at some point. The sleeves were huge and hid my hands almost completely.

"Try not to drink too much, it'll smudge your lipstick and be careful about eating, don't stain anything, oh my look at the time you'd better hurry or you'll be late, hold still your hair's doing something funny."

My hair was done into an elaborate partial braid with half of it framing my face. I left before she caused any more damage.

The party was going to be held in the east ballroom. It took my five minutes to figure out where that was, and another three to find Sasuke, who I was supposed to walk in with.

He was propping up a wall and sulking. I didn't say anything to him and got in position.

"You're late."

"Anko was wreaking havoc. Blame her, not me."

He looked irritated, but said nothing. I took his arm because it was expected and walked in.

The first thing that struck me was the amount of people. There had to be two hundred people there at least. Groups of people hovered around the snack table while others were off in the corners, talking. I didn't see Tenten or Hinata. I spied Naruto, but he was way over there and didn't see me come in.

The second thing was the windows. They were huge and went all the way from the floor to the ceiling. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was pink and orange.

Then I removed my hand from Sasuke's arm and tried to act casual yet elegant. Someone handed me champagne which I took but didn't drink. I took another look around.

"Who are all these people?"

"Most of them are from Sound, but there are a few delegates from Wave and Sand, our other allies."

Which made me the Konoha delegate. It was a little depressing. Sasuke wandered over to a group of people and started talking. I sipped my champagne and tried not to look like I wanted to kill him.

"What are you doing here?" A voice asked. I didn't jump that time, but the person who asked wasn't from Sound, so it didn't count.

"Temari!" I hugged her. "How are you?"

"Fine, but, seriously, what are you doing here?"

I gave her the Cliffs Notes version of everything so it didn't sound as bad as I thought it was. Temari looked mad anyway.

"That's so stupid! I've always wondered why people can't pick their own spouses, but this is low. Really low." She studied me. "Have you even talked to your friends from Konoha?"

"It's not allowed. Konoha is still the enemy at this point, and communication is forbidden. Come on Temari, you of all people should know that if I write a letter it'll be screened and never sent."

"That doesn't make it right," she huffed.

"For all they know, I'm divulging information."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any information to divulge?"

I thought about it. "Well," I said, "they do make some really good bacon."

Temari laughed and looped her arm through mine. It was so good to be able to talk to someone who knew before I became Uchiha Sakura. I drank some champagne actually enjoyed myself for a few minutes.

"Hey Naruto!"

Naruto and I both turned to look at Temari.

"Temari, hey!

"You know him?"

Naruto bounced over and gave her the one-armed hug that all men give people. "Temari and I go way back."

"So far back I can't get rid of him," Temari whispered. I laughed.

Hinata came out of nowhere. She was striking in a silver kimono. Naruto seemed to have swallowed his tongue. Temari and I giggled.

"How's it going Hinata?"

"F-fine. How a-are you Temari-san?" Hinata whispered, stealing a glance at Naruto. I reached over and tactfully closed his mouth.

We chatted and managed to find Tenten and a man I didn't know.

"That's Neji-nii-san. Tenten's in love with him."

He was handsome. I had to hand it to Tenten, she knew how to pick them. He also seemed to be hanging onto her every word. We decided to leave them alone.

"Neji-nii-san loves Tenten more than he'll admit," Hinata confided. "I think he's too shy."

I took another look at him. "He doesn't look shy."

Temari rolled her eyes. "He's a Hyuuga. They're not allowed to be shy."

Naruto made an affirming noise. Hinata seemed to remember he was behind her and went beat red. They were just too cute together.

"Why hello Miss Temari!" We all jumped. The people nearby fell silent and turned to look at us and the large man who was talking.

He was short and chubby and had big ham hands. One of them reached forward and began to pump Temari's.

"Why I didn't know you'd be here. Are your brothers not around?"

Temari tried to remove her hand. "Gaara has several things to attend to. Kankuro's on a mission. I came in their place." She wiped her hand on her kimono and turned to us, her face pained. "This is Kanami Dachi. He's a member of the Wave council."

He zeroed in on me. I almost flinched when he took my hand. He didn't shake it, but held it in both of his and stared into my eyes.

"My, my, aren't you pretty? You have to be Uchiha's wife. What's a pretty young thing like you doing with a stiff thing like him?"

"It was an arranged marriage."

He made a clucking sound. My hand was starting to lose circulation. "Such a shame. You would have made an excellent Kanami. All the women in my family have magnificent bodies." His gaze dropped. "A fine Kanami indeed."

I grabbed his pinky with mine and twisted. He yelped and dropped my hand like it was on fire. Conversation around us stopped.

"So sorry about that Kanami-san. I guess I don't know my own strength." I blocked Hinata from his view. I'd be dammed before I let him get to her.

"Yes well, it's quite alright." He rubbed his finger. "My old body has taken more than that before. Only strong people can make me yelp. It takes a stronger woman to make me scream." He winked at me. My stomach rolled with disgust.

Sasuke was watching us. A warning of 'don't tick him off' flew. I made excuses and we walked away before we murdered him. Temari let out an aggravated breath.

"I hate him. And he's always at these things."

"Natch."

I flexed my fingers. "I bet they send him on purpose. Wave's been known to be a little paranoid. Most likely they send our friend Dachi there to annoy people so he can go home and say everyone was hostile. "

Hinata tilted her head. "He most likely harasses the women all the time."

I nodded. "He fits the profile of a harasser too."

"Profile?" Temari asked.

"Too much touching, talking, and wondering eyes."

"Not to mention he's a creep," Naruto growled.

"That too."

Hinata looked worried. "Do you really think Wave wants a war?"

I glanced at Dachi. He had Tenten by the arm and was staring at her legs. Neji looked ready to kill him.

"I'd bet my inheritance on it."

* * *

It turned out that a lot of people at the party had never seen me before. I actually had to go make small talk with a bunch of strangers who hated my village. Temari had to do the same, but her village was liked and she was used to this kind of thing.

I learned a few simple rules. Stay away from the men who only talk to women (especially when wearing the kimono that I was wearing), don't tick anyone off (even if they annoyed the hell out of you), and, this was the big one, don't hit anybody.

I listened to boring stories, kept my temper in check, and played nice with the other delegates. My ass was pinched and men stared down the front of my kimono. Sasuke had thrown me to the wolves. He did it on purpose. I know he did.

But what happened next was something that would make the Great and Powerful Uchiha Sasuke lose it. And it didn't even happen to him.

In the midst of all the chaos and booze, my friend Dachi managed to locate me again. There wasn't even time for me to blink before he was right in my face, talking about Wave's finances and measuring my hips.

"So I told the rest of the council, look, it's not as if we want a war, but we can't afford it!" He dissolved into laughter. I smiled politely, my gaze wandering around the room. Where was Sasuke? I hadn't seen him since we came in.

"How are you adjusting to life here?" His question startled me. I'd been asked a couple of times, but he was the last person I thought I'd hear it from.

"Fine. It's a little boring, but it's nice." Such a lie. Well, not totally. It was nice, but that was only sometimes. And those times were few and far between.

Dachi nodded. "I understand." I'll bet you do. "Life can be... hard when you're suddenly faced with such a sudden change. Not to mention you're a woman."

"Mr. Kanami, what does my being a woman have to do with adjusting to my new life?"

He laughed. "What a question! Men are stronger individuals, don't you see? A woman isn't cut out for such drastic changes." He puffed out his chest. "Now, if it were me in the situation, I'd be running the place."

I traced the rim of my glass with my finger. "So, what you're saying is that women are the inferior species. Is that right?"

"Yes! Yes, that's it exactly!" He seemed delighted that I had finally grasped the concept. I wanted to punch him.

"Frankly Mr. Kanami, I find that to be a load of bullshit."

He deflated and looked confused. "Do you now?"

"A man is no different from a woman."

His face colored. "Well, from an anatomical standpoint-"

"A few extra parts don't really matter when it comes down to survival. Essentially, we have the same insides. Women posses an extra chromosome that men don't, and in fact, it's theorized that, in a couple hundred years, men could completely lose one chromosome. With that lost chromosome comes the extinction of mankind. Women would then be the dominant species."

He had to think about that for a minute. "Well, even if that were true, and that's a very big if mind you, that's several hundred years in the future. So, for now, don't you worry your pretty little head about anything, okay? Just let us men take care of everything and you'll be alright." He winked.

I was very tempted to throw my champagne into his smiling face. How could anyone be so damn irritating? And why did he keep touching me? He grabbed my arm- without permission!- and pulled me out a door.

"We'll finish this discussion in the hallway." He stroked my arm. I got goosebumps, and not in the good way either.

"Actually, I should get back-"

"You wound me, Miss Sakura! As partial owner of this esteemed manor, it is your job to escort me around. A man could get lost in here." His eyes narrowed. "That wouldn't be very hospitable, now would it?"

Naruto had been wrong. Dachi was The Bastard. Sasuke was just irritatingly there.

We walked around for ten minutes. Dachi talked the entire time, rambling on about women being inferior and men being stronger no matter what (I tried not to laugh. He didn't look like he had ever done a push up in his life), and then, much to my chagrin, his apparently very active sex life.

He named six women for the past two weeks and I swallowed bile.

"... but then again, I can't really complain." He tapped on a door. "What's back here?"

I wasn't entirely sure, but he wasn't really interested in my answer. He threw the door open with great gusto, causing it to bang on the wall behind it.

"Spare bedroom. A fancy one too. Get a load of the size of that bed! Come on, come in here." He grabbed my arm again, this time with a grip that was made of iron.

Warning bells went off in my head. I tried to think of the best way to vanish. Would he chase after me if I just turned tail and ran? Even if he did, I doubted very much that he could catch me.

I jerked my arm out of his grip and made a break for it. I would have made it if it wasn't for two things.

The first thing was that I had seriously underestimated his speed. He had jumped in front of me and shut and locked the door. Unable to stop, I crashed into him. He grabbed both of my arms.

The second was that I finally figured out why he had been touching me so much. My movements were sluggish and my brain was starting to fog. There had to be a toxin in his fingertips, released at his whim.

"You drugged me."

He pushed me closer to the bed. I tried to resist, but my legs had turned to jelly. With a grunt, he hoisted me onto the bed, laying me spread eagle in front of him.

This couldn't be happening.

"I don't normally drug women. Usually they're no problem to overpower." He nuzzled my neck. "But in this case I made an exception. You're stronger than you look, but too pretty to pass up."

His hand crept to my leg, exposed where my kimono parted to reveal my thigh. His breath was hot on my neck and I could feel him smiling against my skin. He gave my ear a quick nip.

I couldn't move. I was frozen. I couldn't even turn my head to avoid the kiss he gave me. His hand crept up my thigh. He thrust his tongue into my mouth. I bit down as hard as I could. He swore and jerked back.

_Scream. Suck in a deep breath and scream as loud as you can. Don't let him get away with this._

"It won't work. The drug I gave you is a muscle relaxer. You have minimal control over your lungs and diaphragm- just enough to keep you breathing." His fist came out of nowhere and struck the left side of my face. My head snapped to one side and I saw stars.

"Now behave and this won't have to be so painful."

Tears prickled behind my eyes. His hands were all over me, cupping my breasts, squeezing my thighs, then he was climbing higher and higher and he touched me and started to pant. With a growl, he shoved the top half of my kimono to my waist and left me exposed. He bruised me with his touch and bit me hard enough to make me bleed.

He pushed past everything and was inside of me. He yanked my hair to bring me closer so he could press his lips against mine. He fumbled with his yukata, beginning to undress himself.

_This isn't going to happen to me. I won't _let _it happen to me. Move,_ I ordered my body. _Move. Move. __**MOVE!!**_

My fingers curled into a fist. It connected soundly with his zygomatic arch, crushing the bone and making his cheek swell under my hand instantly. He flew off me and the bed, landing on the floor, yukata halfway on.

I gave myself two seconds to yank my kimono over my shoulders before I grabbed the son of a bitch by his neck and slammed him into the wall. Kicking had to be done. Shift your weight, pivot your foot, bring up the knee, snap the leg out- aim low, try to crack the femur, and hope the bastard screams.

He screamed alright. He screamed so loud guards came running. They were just in time to see him go flying through the wall and smash one of the vases.

Sasuke, naturally, appeared out of nowhere. So did the rest of Sound.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Dachi pointed at me. I realized I wasn't too decent and tried to hold what was left of my kimono closed. "She- she's crazy! She dragged me out here and started beating me-"

I should have broken his mandible. It's hard to talk with a broken jaw. Painful too.

"I'm reporting this to my council- they won't stand for this! God, I think my leg is broken." He glanced at it. "It is! It is broken! You bitch! You broke my leg!"

"After you tried to rape me."

Silence. Sasuke looked at me, expression unreadable. I was trying maintain my dignity and stay covered by holding the kimono in place. My lip was bleeding and my face throbbed. I couldn't stop shaking.

"Lies! All lies! You forced yourself on me and then claim rape? My council will hear of this! Sound cannot be trusted, not now, not ever! We will go to war over this! Mark my words, woman! We will go to _war!_"

"Shut the _fuck _up you sick-"

But I didn't finish my sentence.

Because Sasuke punched Dachi and knocked him out cold. And there's no sense in talking to someone who's passed out now is there?


	3. Getting Sick Sucks More

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate throwing up? It's really gross. Your body locks up and your stomach clenches. Your throat burns and you ache all over and wish you would just die already. But you don't. And it sucks.

After my exam (which was just so much fun, let me tell you), I lived in our bathroom. The nurse had warned me that Dachi had pumped me full of toxins and, one way or the other, they were going to come out.

They came out alright. Right out of my mouth and into the toilet. I couldn't keep anything down, but I ate anyways. It's always better to throw up something than nothing. The maids were constantly in and out, each time bringing in a tray of food and carrying one out when they left.

I slept on the floor. It was really, really cold. My body was burning with fever and the expensive tiles felt like ice against my skin. My insomnia caught up to me and when I wasn't retching, I was sleeping.

And dreaming.

I tried not to remember the dreams. They were so weird I didn't want to remember them.

Which means, of course, that I remember every detail. Like the one were Sasuke was an umpaloompa and stirring a big vat of chocolate with a huge fork. And wearing a tutu. A pink tutu.

I'm not even kidding.

Then there were the creepy dreams. One of them had me running from something, but the ground kept falling out from under me and I fell into a deep pit, surrounded by snakes. Each snake had four eyes and tried to bite my ankles so I couldn't run anymore.

Would I make this stuff up?

At one point, Sasuke came in. I didn't see him because I was otherwise occupied. And by occupied, I mean I was busy throwing up my toenails.

"Good God," I moaned. I sat back, resting my head on the wall with a thump. Sasuke crouched in front of me.

"Still sick?"

"What was your first clue?" Aware that my breath had to reek, I looked away from him. I didn't like the guy, but that didn't mean I wanted to breath vomit breath in his face.

He offered me a glass of water and helped my stand. I rinsed my mouth and spat into the sink. The blood flowed away from my head and I swayed on my feet.

Sasuke caught my elbow and led me to the floor.

"You're burning up," he noted. I felt the back of my neck and checked my pulse points.

"I've got a lot of foreign substances in my body. I'm going to be running a fever until they're gone." My stomach rolled. "I'm also going to be hurling until the toxins are out of my system."

"That's going to take a few days."

I felt dizzy and stretched out on the floor. "Most likely. What day is it?"

"Friday."

I'd been like this since late Wednesday night. Or early Thursday morning, depending how you looked at it. It would take another forty-eight hours for my system to get cleaned out entirely. Seventy-two if you were unlucky enough to not know how to heal yourself.

"If I wasn't a medic nin, this would be so much worse."

Sasuke looked at me funny.

"What?"

"You're a medic nin?"

I wanted to sit up but my stomach told me that was a bad idea. I settled for staring at him from the floor.

"Did you not read my background check at all? That's like, the number one thing."

"The council didn't permit me," he informed me.

"Didn't permit you?" He nodded. "I'm sorry, but... don't you _run_ this place?"

"I don't see what you're getting at."

I sat up. My stomach protested, but my dinner stayed where it was supposed to.

"You run this place. You're the boss. Everyone is supposed to answer to you."

He was still looking at me, arching an eyebrow like he was waiting for me to continue. I sighed. Why was I the only one who saw these things?

"I guess what I'm getting at is, if you run things around here, why is the council telling you what you can and can't do?"

I don't think he had ever thought about that before. He got the look that everyone got whenever someone points out the obvious. You know, the 'well, duh' and 'oh shit you're right' mixed with 'why didn't I think of that?'.

I opened my mouth to tell him that maybe the council was going behind his back- that maybe he should be taking more authority over things, but my stomach had other ideas. It wasn't too happy that I had sat up so fast.

When I was finished getting reacquainted with the toilet bowl I rested my face on the side of it and moaned. I may have been a medical ninja but that didn't mean I was immune to aches or pains. I was exhausted and sore and my throat hurt.

Sasuke shoved another glass of water under my nose.

"Thanks," I rasped. I gathered my hair off my left shoulder, lifting it in an attempt to cool myself off a little.

"Here." He handed me a rubber band. I smiled and tied my hair into a low ponytail. That felt a little better. Sasuke's eyes strayed to my scar. Shoot, I thought. I forgot about that thing.

My stomach forced me to lay down again and I decided not to think about what my husband might or might not think of a fairly new scar. The tiles felt cooler than before if that was possible. Goosebumps popped up all over my skin. I was in my thickest pajamas in hopes that I would sweat out the fever. Even with the long sleeves and pants I was shivering.

"I feel like shit," I moaned. Sasuke eyed me for a second and then left. I guess he didn't feel like sticking around to listen to me whine. I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, Sasuke was dragging some blankets toward me. He had a pillow under his arm and a bottle of water in his hand.

"Get up," he ordered. "Or move a little."

I managed to shift to the right. My head was starting to pound. Figures. Once I got sick, I didn't stick with one thing. My body went all out with fever, aches and chills. Whatever could feel bad felt bad.

I think I dozed off, because the next thing I was aware of was Sasuke setting me onto something soft. I wasn't so cold anymore. I opened one eye. He had made a pallet on the floor and covered me with the comforter from our bed.

"Thank you," I whispered. He turned in the doorway to look at me. He nodded once, then quietly slid the door closed behind him.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The next two days were really, really bad. I was awake for only a little while each hour. When I wasn't hurling, I was either sweating or shivering. My stomach rejected anything that even resembled food, my head pounded, and my throat was so sore I couldn't even croak if I needed something.

Hinata came in once to check on me, but I was asleep. She left me some water and dry toast. And she put a cool cloth on my face, which I really appreciated.

Tenten was in and out for awhile, but eventually she went to her own section of the house. She covered me up when I was cold and wiped my face when I was hot.

Temari talked to me about random things. She knew I talked in my sleep, and I'm sure I had a few interesting conversations with her. But I didn't mind. It was nice to wake up and see someone there.

Sasuke didn't come in again. Tenten told me he was kicking council butt and taking names. Apparently he had given some serious thought to what I had said and started looking through files. He found several things that the council had tried to keep quiet. Like the six thousand dollar a month bonuses they had given themselves that came out of the taxpayer's wallets.

"Neji was there when he confronted them. The taxes were refunded and, let me tell you, Sasuke is _pissed_. Now he thinks he hasn't been paying much attention to what's been going on. Neji and Naruto have been recruited to do a little more digging."

Naruto lost patience after a few hours. "They got away with too much crap!" he shouted. "Why don't you just fire them all?" Hinata found that particularly funny. Now that the entire council was under investigation, she had a little more time before she had to get married.

Personally, I thought she should marry Naruto. But that's just me.

Temari burst out laughing when I told her.

"Oh man," she gasped. "I never thought about that before. They'd be perfect for each other!"

Hinata did a little digging of her own and found a few interesting things on several of her family members.

"The Hyuugas have been busy. Neji-nii-san and I read through several trade documents and found a drug operation. Drugs! Here in Sound of all places!"

Somehow, I wasn't surprised. "Drugs are everywhere. Even if they weren't here now, eventually, they'd find their way through the wall."

She looked tired. "That's sad."

"But true."

Tenten knocked on the door. "Neji's looking for you. Sasuke found something else having to do with your family and they thought you should read it."

Hinata turned to say her goodbyes, but I was out of it.

Temari went home. I heard she had gone down to Dachi's cell and punched him through the bars, but I was asleep and didn't get a chance to thank her.

Monday finally came and I woke up from a thirteen hour nap feeling much better. I gathered the pillows and blankets from the floor and dropped them down the laundry chute hidden in the wall. The maid that was making the bed looked at me funny. I guess not a lot of people did their own laundry in the Manor.

I showered, brushed my teeth twice, and set off in search of food. A very tired looking Sasuke was sitting at one of the tables when I walked into the dining room. I sat next to him because no one else was in there.

"You were right about Wave."

I sighed. "Damn. I was really hoping I wasn't."

He rubbed his hands over his face. "Yeah," he sighed. "Me too. One threat is over and done with and now another one pops up."

I chewed my salad thoughtfully. "Well," I said, he looked at me, expectant. I swallowed. "Wave didn't just 'pop up'," I made quotations in the air. "They've always been there, and paranoid. Or, not paranoid, just.... expectant. Like they've always waited for a war to be on their doorstep."

"True." He peered sideways at me. "What exactly do you know about them?"

"Not much," I answered truthfully. "What I've got is based on assumption and three years experience as a diplomat. In Konoha, we call people from Wave Jumpers because they tend to jump the gun on things. And hear what they want to hear, even if that isn't what you said."

"I thought that was just people in general."

I snickered. So Sasuke had a sense of humor. Who knew?

"The council wants to talk to you," a voice said from behind us. I jumped, nearly spilling my water. I glared at Naruto.

"You have got to stop sneaking up on me," I said.

Naruto grinned. "It's not my fault you're amazingly unobservant," he said.

"I'm not unobservant. You're just sneaky."

Sasuke snorted. "Naruto's about as sneaky as a hippo with a cold."

"Bet I'm sneakier than you teme," Naruto retorted.

"Not in a million years dope," Sasuke said dryly.

I had to laugh at them. They were obviously best friends, but treated each other like they were worst enemies. Naruto annoyed Sasuke. Sasuke ignored Naruto. But I knew that they'd give their life for each other.

"What do they need now?" Sasuke asked after a bit.

Naruto seemed to remember why he'd come in in the first place. "They were going to talk to you about.... what happened the other night." He didn't look at me.

Sasuke arched a brow. Naruto looked uncomfortable.

"They want to talk about my attack."

Naruto nodded, still looking away. "Yeah. Wave's council is starting to threaten us if we don't let Dachi go home."

"He stays were he is," Sasuke ordered harshly. "If he's uncomfortable, tough. He threatened and attacked my wife. He's lucky I didn't kill him. And you can tell them I said that."

Naruto smirked. Something told me he hadn't expected anything less from his friend. I, on the other hand, was surprised. I'd been so sick that the attack hadn't been mentioned. I hadn't been conscious enough to even think about it. Apparently, Sasuke was not only taking on Sound's council, but Wave's as well.

My heart flopped. He was taking them on for me. I had told him Sound's council had too much power and he took it away. Dachi had attacked me, and he punched him in the face. Wave started threatening war and Sasuke stood his ground.

He helped me when I was sick. He had come to my rescue when I was in trouble. He was fighting another country because of what had happened to me. He asked my opinion on a matter that was important to everyone in Sound even though I had only lived there for two months.

If I wasn't careful, I was going to start thinking my husband was actually a decent human being.

The said husband sighed and stood to follow Naruto out.

"Try not to stir up too much trouble while I'm gone. I don't think I could handle any more drama right now."

I stuck my tongue out at him. He chuckled and squeezed my shoulder as he brushed past me. I watched him go.

And if I wasn't really careful, I might actually start to like the guy.

XXX

Now that the council had to be good, I actually got my mail. My best friend had written me letter after letter after letter. I opened the earliest one first, the loopy writing making me feel nostalgic and a little homesick.

_Dear Forehead,_

_So what the hell's with you getting married in the first place? I mean, I still remember when we were kids and you swore up and down that you were going to stab the first guy who tried to kiss you. Sure, you didn't have a say in the matter, but, jeez. I figured you'd have killed him and come home by now._

_Ino-Pig._

Written a week after the wedding. I smiled. Out of all the people I had left behind, Ino, my best friend since childhood, was who I missed the most. My heart actually hurt when I thought about all the things we used to do together.

Determined not to cry have Sasuke walk in on me, I opened the other letters, laughing out loud at some of them.

The last one though, nearly made me lose it.

_Dear Used-to-be-a-Haruno,_

_I'm running out of creative things to begin with. I'm guessing you can't write back yet. Hell, I'm willing to bet you haven't even gotten these letters yet. The alliance with Konoha and Sound isn't final and you can't contact us, (yes I actually read up on this. Bite me.) but I wish you could._

_I miss you. A lot. In a you-won't-believe-how-much-time-I-spend-sad kind of way. Shikamaru told me the other day he was worried about me. He claims I haven't smiled in a few days. Pffft, whatever. I did so smile, he just didn't notice. Which shouldn't be surprising, I mean, this is Shika we're talking about._

_But still._

_Sai's annoying the hell out of me. I want to mail him off and have you throw him several hundred feet away. I'm not strong enough. Believe me, I tried. But he's making progress. He was missing for a few days and I got worried (I am human after all). I was convinced he was dead and I was about to lose it when he came home._

_I was so relieved I hugged him._

_But that wasn't the weird part. (you know me. I hug a lot of people.) The weird part was he actually hugged me back!_

_I know, I'm shocked too._

_It was a little awkward, but it counts._

_Shika and I are still going strong. We made it past the three year mark (you owe me fifty dollars) without a bump. We still haven't gone all the way. Close though. Real close._

_And the other day, he told me he loved me._

_Go ahead, do the double take. He beat me to it, the little sneak. I was so going to tell him first, but nooooo. He decides he's going to be all macho and say it first. I was tempted not to say anything._

_..._

_Okay, so I cried. Leave me alone. It was really, really sweet though. And yes, I did say it back. (Shikamaru panicked when he saw me crying. He though I didn't love him. How can someone with such a big IQ be so freaking stupid?)_

_And I finally got around to going to your apartment and getting my stuff out of there. Do you want your pictures? I noticed they were still there. I have them hidden in a shoe box in the depths of my closet._

_Tsunade says hi and she loves you._

_Try not to hurt anyone. Unless they deserve it. Then you can go ahead and kill them._

_Your Little Piggy._

I missed her. Since we were kids, Ino and I had been inseparable. If you wanted to find one of us, you had to look for the other. She stuck up for me. I beat the hell out of anyone who hurt her. We called each other names and drove each other crazy. I was cynical and practical. She was eccentric and dramatic and loud.

But she was Ino. My best friend. The one person I never had to explain myself to. The only person who knew me better than I knew myself. I honestly couldn't remember any event in my life where Ino wasn't there.

Now though, I was in a different country and fighting my battles without her. It was enough to make me want to cry.

I read the letter again then sat down and began my own.

_Piglet,_

_I can't kill my husband. He's the Kage. Besides he's actually and okay guy. And if you tell anyone I said that, I will cheerfully rearrange your face._

_You were right about not getting the letters. It's been two months and my mail's just now coming in. I wouldn't be getting it at all if it wasn't for Sasuke (that's the husband's name. Uchiha Sasuke.). He started investigating the council and found all this illegal stuff they've been doing. They actually approved a drug ring- some of them were even doing the drugs! If I'm going to kill anyone, it's going to be them._

_Or maybe a man named Kanami Dachi. The other night, we had a party to celebrate the alliance and he tried to rape me. Don't freak, he didn't. I managed to break his femur. And his cheekbone. And Sasuke hit him so hard he gave him a concussion._

_I saw Temari. She was surprised (did you not tell her I was getting married?) but happy to see me. No Gaara or Kankuro. I'm hoping I'll see them more now that we're pretty much in the same social circle._

_I made some new friends, so it's not all bad. This one guy, Naruto, is larger than life. He's funny and really sweet and totally in love with one of my other friends, Hinata. She's the Hyuuga heiress. She actually lived in Konoha for a while. I don't remember her though._

_My other friend, Tenten, is in love with Hinata's cousin, Neji. He seems to like her back (or so Hinata says. I can't tell the difference in his emotions.). It can get a little dramatic around here sometimes. Naruto and Hinata lose any and all ability to speak whenever they're around each other. It's cute really._

_Shikamaru loves you huh? Can I just say I told you so? Honestly Ino, it took you long enough to notice. And he's a guy. He's going to panic at tears if he doesn't know they're happy._

_Tsunade hasn't put Konoha in debt has she? I know she didn't win anything off that lottery ticket. (If she did, wait for the sun to come crashing into the mountain.)_

_I've mostly been bored. I'm not even working. Though that might change now that the council's out of the picture. My cello's been getting a good workout._

_And you should see how huge this place is. I still haven't seen every room. My favorite is this really awesome indoor garden. (It has a cherry tree in it.) I love it._

_The maids pretty much ignore me. I've heard that they're mad because Sasuke and I got married. Apparently he's quite the catch around here (retch). They just like him for his looks. I don't think they could stand five minutes with his temper._

_I yelled at him the other day. (I know. Me? Yelling?) He pissed me off and I called him a bastard and an asshole._

_You should see my closet. Even you would turn green with envy. (I hate the kimonos.)_

_Did you remember to get your hooker boots that I borrowed but never wore? They were still in their box on the shelf in my closet._

_And yes, I want my pictures. I didn't take them with me because they made me sad, but now I hate not having them. (And if you send them as soon as you get this, I might actually get them before Christmas!)_

_When are you and Shikamaru going to get married? (That was what the bet was about. You're not getting the money until I see a ring.)_

_I love you and miss you all._

_Sakura._

_P.S. Remind Sai I know where he lives. I can still hurt him if I want to._

I waited until the messenger was ready to leave before I mailed it. I didn't want anyone but Ino to read it. If I was lucky, she might actually get it.

And if the universe tilted on its axis, I might just get her reply.

We were really going to have to do something with that council.


	4. Broken Noses and Pinky Swears

I had come to a few conclusions since I had been at Uchiha Manor. It was more like a list actually. The first one being that Naruto was loud and got bored very easily but was a lot of fun to be around. And he had the attention span of a two year old. (That was really more of a statement, but was number one nonetheless.)

The second was the entire council was corrupt. Out of twelve members there were two drug lords, four smugglers, three sex-slave lords, two people selling information to other countries, and one spy. He was from Wave. What a shock.

Another thing I had come to realize is that Sasuke was actually respected around Sound. People _listened _to him. And he talked to the people before he made any decisions. Even though we lived in a Monarchy society, it felt like a Democracy- which I had only heard of, never actually seen before.

But the most shocking thing? People were starting to come to others about their problems because some things, Sasuke didn't quite know how to handle (like domestic disputes. The guy had zero patience when it came to the small stuff). He would point them in the direction of someone who could though.

And once, he pointed to me.

I had just found the training room and was on my way to work out a few frustrations that had built up. Not to mention burn a few of those calories I had consumed (chocolate covered strawberries had always been a weakness of mine).

"E... excuse me? Mrs. Uchiha?"

Three months in and I was almost used to my name. I actually turned around that time and I only jumped a little bit.

"Yes?" I didn't look like the Kage's wife (I was in an oversized sweatshirt and some leggings), but, hey, if the girl recognized me, I should at least act like I was.

"Um, I-I'm a CNA and we've been having a few problems.... we're a little understaffed. Your husband said that you might be able to... help us out a little?"

I stared at her. Was it really happening? Was I really going to have something to do? Seriously?

I realized it had been half a minute and I still hadn't said anything. "Sure. Yeah, I'll help."

She looked relieved. Like I was going to say no or something.

"Oh thank God," she sighed. "Come on. I know a shortcut."

She lead me into the depths of the Manor, greeting whatever servants we saw by name. We stopped at a dark red door (why was everything so dark here?) and she knocked.

"Yes?" a voice snapped from the other side. "Who are you? What do you want?"

I can see why she knocked.

"I... I have Mrs. Uchiha here. She agreed to help-" The door flew open. A frazzled woman with bright yellow hair and black roots grabbed me by the arm and hauled me in.

"How much experience do you have?" It was noisy. She had to shout even though we were only a few feet apart.

"Seven years. I trained under Tsunade for eight and became head nurse at Konoha Hospital."

The woman squinted at me. "Not too shabby." She leaned closer. "Tsunade huh? I've heard she's quite the gambler."

I jerked my chin up, automaticly defensive. "She is. She loses a lot, but she's a great leader and one of the best teachers I've ever had."

She held up her hands. "I didn't mean anything by it. I hold a lot of respect for Tsunade. My name's Kanni and if you need anything, holler." She grabbed a clipboard off the station and read over it. "Take this hall and Yumi. She's the one in the corner with the blue hair and pink glasses. She'll show you the ropes."

The clipboard was in my hands and Kanni was gone before I could blink. I whistled for Yumi and waved her over.

"Yes?"

"How are you at languages?"

She blinked, not expecting that. "Terrible. Why?"

"Our first patient speaks only French."

She mulled over that briefly. "Oh. Well, damn."

"Yeah, and unless you want me to cuss him out in French, I'm of no use."

She thought about that for a second. "Well, at least you'll know if he's being crude, right?"

I grinned. "Right. Shall we?"

* * *

We had six patients. Jean was a fifty year old Frenchman suffering from severe abdominal pains. We managed to snag a translator and inform him he needed an appendectomy before his appendix perforated and he died. He signed the necessary documents and we were on our way.

The next four were very straightforward. A broken arm and a shallow cut above the eyebrow. A woman afraid she was going into premature labor. An elderly patient going into surgery later in the afternoon and was in pain. An overweight man with blood pressure through the roof.

We bandaged them up, checked them over, gave the correct medication, and sent them on their way.

The last was a little girl named Amaya. She was nine years old and was recovering from a neurological disorder that left her legs weak and unreliable.

"She refuses to get measured for the walking sticks. She's very angry right now and won't cooperate with any of us. She needs to learn to walk again, but all she does is sit in her wheelchair and stare out the window."

"Physical therapy?"

Yumi grimaced. "We tired, but she started biting us if we started to push her down the hall."

We went in.

Amaya had long brown hair that hung over the back of her wheelchair. Her left leg brushed the floor, toes pointed down. Her right leg looked normal.

"You'll get dropfoot if you sit like that," Yumi chided.

Amaya didn't say anything. Her gaze stayed glued to the window as I approached her. She glared at the glass and refused to look anywhere else.

"You know," I said, following her gaze. "Cherry trees are my favorite."

Very slowly, her gaze slid to me. I hugged the clipboard to my chest and pretended to be interested in the tree outside.

"And?"

I smiled. A response meant she was listening.

"I'm named for them too. When my mother was pregnant with me, she craved cherries all the time. My dad got tired of going out to the store, so he planted this half-grown tree right in our yard." Amaya wasn't looking at me, but she was listening. "In a month, there were these huge cherries all over it. My mom was so happy, she named me Sakura."

I knelt down beside her. I didn't say a thing until she looked at me again.

"I know how you must feel."

"No you don't. You have no idea what I'm feeling right now." She looked away angrily. "No one does."

"Huh. Are you sure? Because I think you're feeling that we should just leave you alone. That you don't need our help. You can do this all on your own because it's our fault that you're like this. We should have caught the disorder before it hurt you. Right?"

"That's right," she snapped. "And I know you don't want to be here with me because I'm such a brat."

"I don't think you're a brat."

She backed her wheelchair up so she could look at me fully. "You don't?"

I shook my head and smiled at her. "No. You're scared, and you don't know how to handle all of this. But you know what?"

"What?"

"You're very brave."

She blinked. "Brave?" She must not be used to that particular adjective being applied to her.

I nodded. "Yup. Braver than I was anyway. When I found out that I would have to learn to walk again, I screamed and cried and kicked up a huge fuss." I leaned in to whisper. "I even bit one of the doctors because I didn't like him."

Her eyes had gone huge. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You did?"

I nodded again. "Yeah. And I was ten. Ten years old and biting people." I shook my head. "My brother was so ashamed. He told me that the only way I would ever be normal is if I went to physical therapy. And I did, because I always listened to my brother." I tapped my foot on the floor. "And here I am."

Amaya stared at my legs, then hers. "So.... therapy really helps? Really?"

"Really. If it wasn't for therapy, I wouldn't be walking." I sat down and pulled my leggings up to my knees.

Amaya's mouth fell open. On my calf, right between my tibia and fibula, was a scar, mirrored on either side. It was as wide as my middle finger and ran from my ankle to half way up my shin.

"I have another one on my other leg," I told her. "It's a little shorter than this one, but still really bad."

She couldn't stop staring. "What happened?"

"I was training to be a ninja. One day my teacher handed out our kunais. Do you know what those are?" She nodded. "Well, we weren't the only class who had them. The other classes had gotten them too."

I could still remember feeling so grown up. The metal was cool and smooth in my hand. I was so proud that I now had my own weapon to put in my weapons pouch.

"In one of those classes, there was this kid. He was bigger and meaner than anyone I'd ever met and he didn't like me."

"Why not?" Amaya asked.

I shrugged. "Dunno. He just didn't. Some people are like that. He had his kunai when I walked past and decided that I would make the perfect target."

"He _stabbed_ you?" She couldn't believe it. "Didn't anyone stop him?"

"After a while, someone heard me screaming." I rolled my leggings back down and smoothed the wrinkles. "But the damage had been done. The kunai had gone right through all the tissue and fat straight on through to the other side. All of my muscles and nerves were damaged. I couldn't walk."

Amaya gaped at me. I put her left foot in the proper place, securing it against her footboard. She stared at it for a second, then looked at me again.

"Then what happened?"

"After my brother got through with him, he went to jail. I was in the hospital for days before I woke up. I was so drugged up I slept right through my birthday. When I came around, the doctors asked me to move my legs. I couldn't. I could just barely wiggle my toes."

I wiggled my toes at her. She stared at my metallic blue nail polish.

"I could barely feel them touching my shin. They told me I might be paralyzed. I was determined not to be. After I calmed down, I endured therapy."

I can still remember the first time I took a step on my own. I walked four steps before my legs wobbled and gave out. Natsu caught me and spun me around. He had tears of joy steaming down his face and I remember being scared because big brothers weren't ever supposed to cry. _You're walking Sis! You're walking!_

Amaya looked skeptical. "So, you want me to take the therapy?"

I stood. "It's up to you. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Yumi muffled her noise of surprise by biting her lip.

"I don't?" Amaya's face lit up. "Really?"

"No," I said warmly. "But if you ever want to walk again, you will."

Her face fell. "Oh."

My heart went out to her. She was only nine. Even with therapy, her nervous system was already damaged and she'd be weak for the rest of her life. She would always need her walking sticks or wheelchair. There was even a chance that it would spread and leave her totally helpless.

She must have known that. That's why she didn't want help. If you've got the disease and it's going to win, why fight it? At least with me, there had been a large chance of recovering.

"How'd you get that other scar?"

Amaya's timid voice brought me back to the present. At first I didn't know what she was talking about. Then I remembered I had put my hair in a ponytail, leaving the scar on my neck for all to see.

I touched the bottom of my ear where the scar began and traced it to my collar bone. I always kept some hair over my left shoulder to keep it hidden, but my ponytail had kept falling so I left it to hang down my back.

I smiled at Amaya. "That's a different story. Not one for young people." She looked crestfallen. "I'll make you a deal though. If you go to therapy and start walking with your walking sticks, I'll try to con the cook into making some chocolate."

She perked up immediately. "With almonds in it?"

I made an X over my heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

She giggled and looked at her hands. "Pinky swear?"

I hooked my pinky over hers and squeezed gently.

"Pinky swear."

* * *

When we told Kanni that Amaya had agreed to the therapy and measurements, she let out a whoop of joy.

"That poor kid. I was so afraid that she would be stuck in that damn wheelchair for the rest of her life!" She took the file from my hands. "How'd you get her to agree? Did you drug her?"

I laughed. "No drugs. I just used the magic word."

Kanni peered at us over her tortoiseshells. "Magic word?" She sounded doubtful. "'Please' never worked with Amaya."

"Not please. The other one. The one the works with just about every human on the planet."

She raised a brow.

"Chocolate."

There was a beat of silence. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

* * *

Sasuke stumbled into bed around midnight. He fell on top of the covers and buried his face in his pillow.

"Rough day?"

He just groaned.

"It's not going to get any better. I just got a report from Neji and he didn't look too happy about handing it over."

He rolled over and glared at me. I smacked him with a scroll.

"Don't glare at me, I'm just the messenger." I marked my place in my book and reached under the bed. "He said that you should read it as soon as you got in. It's more on the council."

"You stuffed an important message under the bed?"

I was dislocating my shoulder trying to reach the damn thing, so I got on my hands and knees on the floor and crawled under the bed. "I didn't want to sit on it and rip it to shreds."

There was a lot of dust under the bed. The maids weren't as through as I had originally thought. I grabbed the scroll and sat up. My head connected with something hard and it swore. I peeked over the edge of the bed.

Sasuke's nose was bleeding. And broken. His eyes narrowed when they landed on me.

"Yeah, okay, _that _time I deserved the death glare." I crawled over to him. "Move your hands. I need to see."

"I need ice," he growled. I grabbed his wrists and tugged until they were in his lap.

"No, you need to sit still and let me do my job."

"You're the one that broke my nose!"

"And right now I'm trying to fix it. Now hold still or it'll grow back crooked."

I touched his nose gently and he flinched. I grabbed his face and glared until he stopped squirming. By focusing my chakra on my fingers and letting it spread to his nose, I was able to set it without causing him any more pain. The bone mended with a small crack.

"Done." I sat back and examined his face. "And it's not even bent."

Sasuke touched his nose warily. I rolled back over to my side, grabbing my book on the way.

"You're reading a book about neurological disorders?"  
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm hoping there's something in here that'll help one of my patients. Her disorder has taken her legs from her and we don't even know what it is exactly."

The bed creaked as Sasuke stretched out.

"How many disorders are there?"

"Lots. There are hundreds in this book alone and I know of more."

He rolled onto his stomach. "And none of them are it?"

"It doesn't look that way, no." I tossed the book onto the floor. "But then again, I could be wrong. I might have overlooked something. Or she could just be having a neurological shutdown. Uncommon but not unheard of."

I rolled onto my stomach to look at him. "She's only nine and her brain could be shutting down. Her nerves are shorting out and we don't know why."

That has always been my biggest fear. If you work in the medical field, whether you're a CNA or an X-ray tech, you're going to lose people. I've lost more people than I'd like to say- on the battlefield and the operating table.

You never get used to losing someone. The pain always comes up when you least expect it. It's even worse when you don't know what killed them.

Sasuke reached over me and pulled up a scroll. The diagram of the brain was the most detailed I could find and even then I had to add a few things, marks of blue ink against old parchment.

"Would an MRI help?"

"She's had several and none of them show anything out of the ordinary. All the machines say she's a healthy nine year old girl."

He looked at me over the scroll. "And what do you say?"

"I say she's a dying nine year old girl." I buried my face in my pillow and felt sad. "And I don't know how to save her."


	5. Hinata Swears, Tenten Cries

I didn't sleep at all for a few days. Not such a good move now that I had something to do, but I was used to working on little to no sleep so maybe I'd be okay.

I wasn't.

By the end of the fourth day, I was exhausted. An elderly patient had woken up confused and started wandering around the hallways calling for his dead wife. Before we could get to him and convince him to go back to bed, he fell and broke his hip.

Do some math. Fallen patient plus broken hip plus new nurse equals what?

A lot of freaking paperwork. That's what.

After a couple of hours the words started blurring together and I decided to head back to my room. I was almost sure I could remember the way. Maybe one day I'd figure out where everything was.

We had called in a few favors to some Neurosurgeons about Amaya. They were going to come down tomorrow and see what they could do. At least she had been going to therapy. She couldn't move her toes anymore, and her arm strength had started to decrease. If she lost any more strength, she wouldn't be able to push herself around in her wheelchair anymore.

I really needed to figure out what was wrong with her.

Without thinking, I turned the corner and found myself in the garden. No one was in there and I tried to give myself a few minutes of peace.

It didn't work. I kept thinking about Amaya.

To be nine years old and facing all of this.... I could barely imagine how frustrating this must be for her. And I was supposed to cure her. I didn't even know where to start.

Well, I knew where to start, but I didn't know how much good it was going to do any of us.

The brain is the top banana when it comes to nerves. Nerves travel all through the human body and have receptors at the end of skin. Your fingertips have over fifteen hundred receptors per square inch. If you were sewing and you pricked your finger, the nerves would send a message to the brain and back before you reacted.

If Amaya lost all feeling in her arms and legs, it could mean any number of things. Her nerves could be shutting down, or her brain could be losing its ability to function. I was leaning towards brain. It would explain the loss of strength in her arms.

As much as I'd love to know what was wrong with her, I was afraid that knowing would make the situation even more hopeless than it already was. If Amaya's brain couldn't function anymore, she'd be left brain-dead.

A nine year old girl in a vegetative state.

Deciding that fifty-six hours of no sleep was way too much, I went back to my room. I opened the door and ran, literally, into Sasuke. He's taller than I am, so my running into him also meant my head connecting with his nose, which started spewing blood.

"What the hell- oh. Of course it's you."

He pinched his nose to stanch the flow of blood. I heard a faint click.

I had just broken my husband's nose. Again.

"It's three in the morning. Where have you been? I was starting think you had been kidnapped."

"Wouldn't really surprise me if I was. I seem to be a trouble magnet around here." I shut the door and reached for him. "Let me see."

"You broke my nose. Again."

I was trying really hard not to laugh. "I'm going to fix it again. I promise."

Blood dripped down past his chin and pooled on his shirt. He tilted his head back.

"No, don't do that," I said, smacking the back of his head lightly.

He tipped his head forward. "Why not?"

"The blood'll go down your throat and you could choke. Now stop squirming, I have to set your nose."

Obediently, he stopped moving. I let my chakra flow down my fingers and out to his skin. I felt a small crack on the bridge that was making the lower half of his nose lean toward the left. I put everything back quickly and healed him for the second time.

"You should really watch where you're going. I can only heal you so many times before my chakra won't work on you anymore."

"You should really start going to bed earlier." He wiggled his nose. "What kept you?"

"Paperwork," I said. "We had an elderly fall on us and I got stuck handling the insurance and scheduling his hip surgery."

"Hn."

I looked longingly at my cello but my eyes crossed and I started getting ready for bed. Sasuke went behind the changing screen and emerged in his pajamas.

Which was just a pair of sweat pants.

_Somebody works out._ I shut and locked the bathroom door. Daydreaming about my husband's muscles wasn't on my to-do list today, thanks.

I had just taken my lab coat off when I realized I had left my pajamas outside on my dresser. Great. I dropped the bloody coat onto the floor and went back out.

Sasuke was staring at his own bloody garment, trying to decide what to do with it. I knew that housekeeping wouldn't be up for another three hours. The blood would dry and they'd have a time getting it out.

"Give it here."

He glanced up.

"Your shirt. I can get the blood out."

"I'll just give it to one of the maids in the morning," he said.

"Yeah, and she'll use it to put a voodoo curse on you or something." I rolled my eyes. "Just hand it over. No one's better at getting out blood stains than a medic nin."

He tossed it to me. I soaked it and my coat in club soda in the sink before I got in the shower.

I took my time getting clean. The hot water felt really good on my skin and worked most of the knots out of my back. I briefly considered hacking my hair off. I decided to just go to bed and braid it when I got up.

"How's Amaya?"

I jumped, dropping my shoes on the carpet. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, amused.

"You have _got _to stop doing that," I told him. He just smirked.

I kicked my shoes into the corner and sat down to brush my hair.

"She's lost her left arm and right shoulder. Therapy said that she was making real progress but then started regressing. She was able to move her toes yesterday, but now she can't even feel it when we touch her."

"Are you sure it's a neurological problem?"

"Not at all," I said. "Right now, all I know is that she has a problem. No one has any idea what it is or how to fix it." I turned to face him. "But if we don't fix it soon, she'll lose control over everything and then she'll die."

Sasuke looked like he didn't like that idea any more than I did.

With a sigh, I settled myself under the covers. The lights began to dim and just when I was about to doze off, I felt my shoulder being squeezed.

"You'll figure it out. I have faith in you."

To this day, I'm not sure if I dreamt it.

* * *

I tried to have lunch with my friends the next day. With everything that had been going on, I felt like I had been neglecting them. Hinata couldn't come and we couldn't find Naruto. It ended up just being me and Tenten. Which made my day go straight to hell.

Go figure huh?

I charmed the cook into making a picnic basket for us to eat in the garden. We had ribs, mashed potatoes that were swimming in really yummy gravy, fresh strawberries, cheesecake, and a huge salad with tons of tomatoes. I love tomatoes.

Tenten ate a few grapes, half a rib, and drank two glasses of wine. She didn't talk and avoided looking at anyone, including me.

You didn't have to be a genius to figure out that something was bothering her.

"What's up Ten? You haven't touched your cheesecake."

I picked up her slice and waved it under her nose. She didn't even move.

That was a really bad sign.

"When you found out you had to marry Sasuke, did you cry?"

I blinked. Where had that come from? "No. No, I didn't." I didn't cry so much anymore. Not after that day. "Why? What's going on?"

"I got a letter in the mail today." She turned around. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks. That scared me. Tenten didn't strike me as a person who'd cry over much.

And she was asking me about my marriage.

I did the math. Two plus two equals five.

"Oh, Tenten."

She hiccupped, wiping the tears with the back of her hand. I scooted next to her.

"How bad is it?"

I didn't want to know. I wanted it to be good. I wanted her to say she was going to marry Neji and he told her that he loved her. I wanted her to say she was moving to a different country and not getting married at all.

I didn't want her to say what she said next.

The calm facade she had been trying so hard to keep up crumbled and she began to sob openly.

"I have to marry Hiashi."

I had no idea who that was. I had to calm her down before she could tell me.

"He's Neji's uncle- Hinata's father. He could be _my _father."

Oh my God.

"I have to marry him before the end of the month."

I couldn't tell her it would be okay, because I didn't know that it would. I had no idea how to fix this. None at all.

But, believe me, I was going to find a way.

* * *

Neji scared me, so I went to Hinata. She was just as upset as I was. But that's putting it nicely. Frankly, we were majorly pissed off.

"Father doesn't even like Tenten," Hinata exploded. "He met her when she and Neji-nii-san were training together and he said right off that he didn't like her." She whirled on me. "Why make her marry him? Who would do something like that? What are we going to do?"

"I haven't the foggiest, the Council, and I'm thinking. There're all your answers in order. Now hush, and let me think."

With a sigh, she sank to her bed. "This is wrong. If Tenten has to marry a Hyuuga, she should marry Neji."

"I think women should choose their husbands. Having a corrupt council pick them out is a load of bullsh-"

Hinata cleared her throat. I closed my mouth with a hiss. Anyone could be lurking outside the doors. The Hyuuga wing of the Manor wasn't exactly built for privacy. It bugged me.

Actually, a lot of things bugged me, but at the moment, it was lack of privacy. And the whole Tenten-marrying-Hinata's-father thing. Which was just wrong. I mean, come on. The guy was nearly thirty years older than her. Ew.

"Anyways," I said. "Back to what we're going to do."

Hinata flopped backwards. "Can we even do something?"

Probably not. "Of course we can," I lied. "You're the Hyuuga heiress. Surely someone will pay attention if you kick up a fuss."

"Nope."

I was stumped. "Really? No one?" She shook her head. "But, you guys are the second most powerful clan in this place."

"And I'm just a woman who's barely old enough to drink," she said. "It doesn't matter if Father went to the council himself and protested. Nothing is going to change their minds."

Well, damn.

"Why is the council still doing stuff anyways?" I growled. "They're all under investigation! Nothing they do should be counted as legitimate."

Hinata spoke to the ceiling. "They have to keep going as if nothing's out of the ordinary. If they shirk their responsibilities, it'll just prove that they're lazy and need to be out of office."

"Well.... what if.... oh, hellfire." I huffed. "You'd think drug lords would be in jail and their positions up for grabs."

"You'd think." She sat up. "Speaking of jail, any news on Kanami Dachi?"

I stared at the wall for a second, then very calmly went to the bed, picked up a pillow, and screamed into it.

"That bad huh?"

"Wave found a loophole for him to crawl out of. He has to be in his country until the trail. He went home this morning." The slimy weasel.

"Bastard."

I was so surprised I actually laughed. Hinata was the Ice Queen. Master of keeping her emotions is check and staying calm and rational. I loved it when she let them fly.

"Well, he is."

"True that, but back to Tenten."

We sat in silence. Really, what was there for us to do? Sasuke ran this place, but the council had the final say. Even if they were all evil idiots, whatever they said, went.

"What if all of the Hyuugas protested?" I asked.

Hinata shook her head.

"Half of them?"

She shook her head again.

I muffled my shriek of frustration with another pillow.

Suddenly, Hinata's entire body jerked like she had been hit. For a second, she sat there in shock, but slowly, an evil grin spread across her face.

"We're barking up the wrong tree here. The Hyuugas can't do anything and the Council won't change their minds, right?"

I was a little wary of where this was going.

"We need to go straight for the source."

"But," I was confused. "Didn't we just agree the Council wouldn't-"

"Forget the council. Think bigger."

Bigger?

She gave me a level stare. I blinked. Realization struck. Bigger than the Council, higher on the food chain. The one that really ran things around here.

Or was supposed to.

"Ah," I groaned. "Shit."

Hinata smirked. I glared at her.

"I hate you," I informed her.

She waved it off. "Yeah, yeah. Are you going to talk to him or what?"

"The things I do for my friends, I swear." I was going to die. I was sure of it. "Yeah, I'll talk to him."

"It might not work, but it's worth a shot."

Risking my neck for nothing. Great.

Sasuke was under so much pressure he'd bite my head off if I looked at him the wrong way. How was I supposed to talk to him about marriage problems?

* * *

By yelling. That's how.

"Neji's in love with Tenten. Has been for years, but there's nothing I can do."

I gaped at my husband.

"So you're just going to sit there and do nothing while your friend has his heart broken because of a law that nobody likes?!" My voice rose until I was yelling. I seemed to do that a lot around here.

He didn't even look at me. My temper started to boil again. I felt a shriek coming up and didn't bother with a pillow.

"What the hell is with this place?" I shrieked. "Leaders who don't lead, criminals calling the shots, women having no rights, rapists roaming free... what kind of hellhole have I landed in?!"

Sasuke just blinked.

"If you want to change things so badly, change them."

"I'd _love_ to, but you know as well as I do that no one is going to listen to a woman." I kicked my vanity stool. "Nobody listens around here. That's why this place is so screwed up."

"My parents built this place."

I turned on my heel. "And I'm sure they were great people, but this place is going to hell in a handbasket."

He arched a brow. "And who's to blame for that?"

"The Council," I threw out answers like a kunai. "The people for not protesting. You for not standing up to them." He looked at me. "It's mostly the council. You said they've been here since your parents ran things, right? So they must not've liked the way things were and changed everything." I jabbed my finger at him so violently my elbow popped. "And you didn't do a damn thing about it until I came along."

I hadn't even thought about it until I said it, but it made sense. The Council had been around for years and the problems of the village had just been growing steadily worse.

Sasuke stood and started towards me. "Do you really think you could do better than the council my parents appointed?" he asked evenly.

Everything in his body language said he was challenging me. I crossed my arms and glared into his eyes.

"Anybody'd be better than them. There are drug lords and leaders of sex-rings running this place and look what's happened! People are unhappy, the population's down, and women are ready to start a revolt. It wouldn't surprise me if you were knocked off your throne and kicked out of the village. Hell, the village might not survive another year. What happens then?"

We glared at each other for a minute.

Then Sasuke smiled. To say I was startled would be a serious understatement. We were in the middle of an arugement and the guy smiles? What drug was he on?

"I was wondering when you'd snap. If you want to change a few things, go ahead. You have more authority than you think."

And he turned and left the room.

I sat down and thought about it. My husband had just given me authority to do pretty much whatever the hell I wanted with a village he ran.

I smirked. He had _no idea _what he had gotten himself into.


	6. Actually, Really

I didn't sleep (again) that night and it gave me time to plan my method of attack. Insomnia makes it really easy to plan things. Wow, I just sounded like Gaara didn't I? Oh, well. He was bound to rub off on me sooner or later.

By four, I was down in the banquet hall, waiting.

Men were predictable, Naruto more than most. The only thing on his mind first thing in the morning is food. He strolled in around five and I pounced.

Step one: get his attention.

"Hey Naruto, want some ramen?"

Apparently Hinata wasn't exaggerating when she mentioned his love for ramen, because he was beside me in seconds.

Note to self: when bribing Naruto, use ramen. It works wonders.

Oblivious to what I was plotting, Naruto happily slurped the noodles down and chattered about training and a fight he was going to win against The Bastard (a.k.a. Sasuke).

"Really."

"Yeah. Everyone says that I'm weak, but I'm going to show them. Beating teme is my best shot."

I pictured them beating the crap out of each other and grinned. That surely would have been amazing to watch, but I had other things going and I needed to act fast.

"Naruto, how long have you loved Hinata?"

He inhaled his noodles and started hacking. I waited patiently for him to finish choking on his food. Watery eyes turned to me in shock.

"Wh-what? Hinata?"

"You know, pale, long dark hair, drop-dead gorgeous, madly in love with you, can't form a complete sentence around you? Ringing any bells?"

For a second, he looked ashamed. Naruto had always had a sort of light in his eyes, and it flared like the sun whenever Hinata was around. And just then, it went out.

"Hinata's.... she doesn't love me."

Come again?

He couldn't be that stupid.

And then I realized it was Naruto, and that he _could _be that stupid.

"Naruto, as your friend it's my responsibility to do this and I'm sorry if I cause any permanent damage." I smacked the back of his head so hard his forehead hit the table. The ramen broth sloshed in his bowl and dripped down the sides onto the tablecloth.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Did you get dropped on your head when you were a baby? My God man, it's so obvious I knew it the second I saw you two together."

He had the nerve to look shocked. This wasn't going to be easy.

"I don't-"

"Just answer my question."

"Sakura, really-"

"Answer it."

He looked away. Hinata, didn't love him? Yeah, right. Naruto not knowing about it? Wasn't too shocking. He wasn't going to do anything about it either. It was practically my duty to smack some sense into him.

"Since I first met her," he whispered. "She's so strong, and not just physically. She puts up with all the crap her clan gives her and never complains even a little. She's got this rhythm, you know? She goes through life making everything better and she doesn't even know it."

Something tugged at my heart. It was a mushy moment, one that made you want to reach for the tissues and hug something to your chest. Naruto didn't just love Hinata, he was _in _love with her. Big time. It was such a movie moment.

He glanced at me. "I don't deserve her though."

Moment over. "I will hit you again if I have to," I warned.

It made him sad. I didn't like seeing Naruto like this. "Maybe I need to be hit. Hinata's something special. And I'm nothing. That's the way it is. And until I can change it, it's going to stay that way."

"Is that why you won't tell her? Because you think she deserves better?"

"I know she does." He poked the ramen absently.

I decided to go for the direct approach.

"So, the fact that she's in love with you makes no never mind to you?"

"She's not-"

"Oh," I assured him, "she is. Maybe more than you're in love with her."

The light came back into his eyes. He never had any idea. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how men make it in the world. Actually, I've always wondered that.

I squeezed his hand. "You love Hinata more than anything. To me, that means you deserve her."

He smiled. "If only you ran the marriage matches."

I smirked. Yeah. If only.

* * *

Sasuke cornered me on my way to the music room.

"What did you do to Naruto?"

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently.

He didn't buy it. "He's been out of it all day and when I finally get his attention, he said that he'd been thinking." His peered into my face. "Naruto doesn't think. He said that you two talked this morning. I want to know what about."

"We had a nice little chat. It's nothing really." I smiled sweetly. He didn't move. I couldn't keep a straight face any longer and I laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'm doing what you told me to."

I patted his cheek, scooting around him to open the door. He grabbed my wrist.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked.

I tried really, really hard not to laugh maniacally. With difficulty, I managed to just smirk.

"Probably not. It's simple stuff."

"Simple," he said. "Really."

I stepped closer, lifting his hand off my wrist. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I'm not going to uncrown you or anything. You're doing a good job of running things as it is. It's... more of the domestic things that I'm changing. Little things."

He looked skeptical but left it at that.

"Just don't piss off the entire country," he begged. "I can't have a corrupt wife too."

"What if I promise not to become corrupt?"

He didn't know if I was being serious or not. I smiled slyly poked him in the chest.

"Stop being so paranoid. Not everyone is going to get poisoned by this place." Not after I got through with it anyways. "I'm just trying to clean things up, take care of a few loose ends."

Sasuke only looked a little scared.

* * *

I got another letter from Ino. It was three lines long and made me laugh until my sides hurt.

_Dear Forehead,_

_I'M ENGAGED!!!!! You owe me fifty dollars. Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you._

_Mrs. Pig._

Sasuke waited until I was done laughing before saying anything. I think he thought I must have lost my mind or something.

"Good news?"

"Ino," I said, still grinning. "My best friend from home. She's getting married soon, to a guy she swore up and down she hated in school." I let out a bark of laughter. "I'm the one that finally convinced her to date him."

"You're just full of insight aren't you?"

"Pretty much." I folded Ino's letter and put it with the rest.

The box was small and tied with simple string. It made my heart hurt just looking at it, but I reached for it anyways. I took a deep breath and pulled a picture out at random.

Natsu's face and a fifteen year old me smiled from a cracked frame. I had tackled Natsu from behind, making him double over. His face was bright red and I was laughing. We were both in our ANBU gear.

_One of these days I'm going to get you so bad you're going to have to restart your own heart._

_Not if I get you first, Nii-chan._

"You did get me, didn't you?" I traced his face with my fingertips. He was gone now, the ultimate gotcha of all gotchas. One I could never get him back for.

Sasuke glanced in the box, then did a double take. "What's all this?"

"My pictures. Most of them are of my family. Ino sent them from home."

"Some of them a burned."

I dug through the box. "Is there a question in there?"

"Several, actually."

I tossed a picture of Ino onto the bed. She couldn't be older than six and had a bunch of wildflowers clutched in her hand and was covered in dirt. Her mother, appalled, was behind her with a wash cloth. Shikamaru laughed in the background.

The next picture I picked up was burnt in the corner, cutting off my right leg. The edges were curled and wrinkled. I stared at myself, awed by the difference. Was I even the same person?

My hair was shorter. It just barely grazed my shoulders. My headband rested on the crown of my head and I was smiling. I was chubby and happy. Young and foolish. I tossed it back into the box.

There were thousands of pictures. Some were in frames, others were snapshots. A few I recognized from Ino's collection. One was of Ino and Shikamaru holding hands. A ring sparkled on her left hand. Shikamaru was grinning like an idiot.

Ino not only picked her husband, she was madly in love with him. Konoha had outlawed arranged marriages a few years before Natsu was born. And yet I still had no say. Funny thing, life.

I looked at my husband then, watching him skim over a few photos. I knew little about him. Almost nothing. He, obviously, knew nothing about me either. We were strangers who had gotten married to save lives.

Maybe it was time we got to know each other. Maybe, just maybe, we'd be okay. Maybe if we actually knew something about each other we wouldn't be at each other's throats all of the time. Someone had to take the first step towards a decent life. With determination and more than a little courage, I took that step.

"See this guy here?" Sasuke glanced at the picture and nodded. "It's my older brother. The pretty brunette beside him is his fiancée, Suki."

He got closer, peering over my shoulder to study the photo in my hands. Natsu's green eyes matched my own, a gift from our mother, and we had the same large forehead, also from Mom. The rest was all Natsu. The straight nose, strong chin, and scar under his left eye all defined him. All defined my big brother.

"Natsu was twelve when he met Suki. They were best friends instantly. Eight years after he met her, he married her. Mom took this picture the day they got engaged. She was nineteen, he was twenty."

The next picture was of my team. With a somewhat happy sigh, I handed it to him. Those were the days.

"That's Sai. He was on my team. And that's Kiba and his dog Akamaru." I smiled. "Nowadays, Kiba rides on Akamaru's head. The silver haired guy is Kakashi, our teacher. He's perverted as all get out and as late as summer rain in a drought. But we loved him. Had nothing but respect for him.

"I was nothing more than an average ninja at best. The only thing I was good at was chakra control. Kakashi focused mainly on Sai and Kiba, which enabled me to find my own path."

Sasuke flipped through a stack of photos from my genin days. Kiba giving a peace sign, Sai painting, Kakashi asleep with his bright orange book over his face, me with my arms around Sai and Kiba's shoulders, all of us grinning madly.

"Your hair was shorter then."

"I had time to cut it then. We didn't get many missions and my hair made it difficult when we did get one. The first time I set foot out of the village, we had to escort a bridge builder home. By the time we got back, my hair was to my shoulders."

He looked at the picture, then at me. I grinned. I had changed a lot since that picture. Since all of the pictures. "Natsu loved to play with my hair. I haven't cut it since he got engaged to Suki. She was always trying to braid it and style it. It irritated her that I just wore it down."

I handed him another photo. Ino's long blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight and the waves crashed on the beach behind her. I was giggling beside her.

"For the longest time, Ino was my only friend. She stood up for me when I got teased and stuck by me no matter what. I'm annoying and it's her fault. She taught me to say what's on my mind and to not hold back when I'm angry or sad."

"At least I know who to blame," Sasuke said dryly. I chuckled softly.

She was posing in the next photo, arms out like she was dancing, one hand holding mine and spinning me around. Our faces were a blur but our smiles in focus, blinding white against tan skin.

Sasuke started digging in the box himself. My entire life was in that box- every birthday, Christmas, and family reunion.

He pulled out a photo from my sixth birthday. Ino and I had the same haircut. I was blowing out candles, she was reaching for something out of frame. Mom from the forehead down clapped behind me. Natsu had his finger in the icing.

Memories were flooding my mind, all pushing forward with each picture. Natsu rubbing his hands on Mom's pregnant belly. Dad kissing Mom on their wedding day. Suki and Natsu running to avoid the camera, cheeks bright red.

"I caught them kissing and ran for Mom before he could bribe me." Sasuke snickered.

The box wasn't even half empty. The next photo had an old wooden frame around it. It was a side view of me on Natsu's shoulders, pointing at something in the distance. His hands were holding my ankles and he was smiling.

"He must be a good big brother," Sasuke said.

"He was. I couldn't have asked for anyone better." Even with the three year age gap, we were the closet in age out of all our brothers and sisters, meaning we spent more time with each other than anyone else. To me Natsu was never like my brother, always my best friend.

_In a few years you'll be grown and then you'll get married too, Sis._

_I'm never getting married Nii-chan._

_Ever?_

_Well, maybe if he's _exactly _like you, I might consider it._

I rummaged around until I found the photo I was looking for. It was old, taken when I was seventeen, but it was my favorite one I had of all of us together.

"My dad's the tall one in the corner, then Natsu. Mom's the one that could pass for my twin. There's me and I'm holding Suki's hand. The one that looks bored out of her mind is Akina. She was just barely four when this was taken."

I passed the picture to him. He studied it like he couldn't believe it. "You can't tell, but Mom was three months pregnant. I had just gotten my ANBU status. The tattoo's hidden by my sleeve." Dad was so proud when I showed that little leaf. Natsu was awed and scared.

_Dangerous work, Sis._

_Don't worry, Nii-chan. I'll protect you._

"You were in ANBU."

I nodded. "Yeah. I trained under Tsunade for years before I even took my chunin test. I was a jonin by the time I was sixteen. Natsu and Dad were in my squad and I ranked above them. Mom was just happy I kept my nursing job."

He turned to me with disbelief in his eyes. "You left them all behind?"

"No. They were the ones to leave me." I swallowed. "A few months before I came here, a man came into our home and murdered them."

Like I was there, I could see the blood on the floor. I could hear Kenji and Akina screaming. Dad's unblinking eyes staring into mine. A flash of metal and my neck was open. It burned to take a breath. Smoke filled my lungs and my vision blurred at the edges.

Sasuke's fingers traced the scar on my neck and I jolted back to reality.

"Is that where you got this?"

"Yes." My heart hammered in my chest. "He cut my throat and left me for dead. I was the only one to survive." Out of everyone. Five other ninja in the house and I'm the only one that makes it. The only Haruno left. I wasn't even that anymore.

"That's why some of the pictures are burnt," I told him. "After he was done with us, he set the house on fire and left."

Sasuke's thumb was still tracing the scar. "It hurts doesn't it? Knowing you couldn't do anything to save them even though you were right there."

He said it like a man who knew my pain all too well. Like someone who knew exactly what I had gone through. His eyes, dark as ever, were dull with old pain.

I covered his hand with mine. He met my gaze.

"Yes. Yes, it does."

* * *

I had the worst nightmare I had ever had that night. Flashes of images came and went, all in flames. I watched the murders over and over again, eventually waking up with a scream tearing out of my throat.

Sasuke was above me, holding my arms so I wouldn't punch him.

"It's okay Sakura. You're safe. It's okay," he was saying.

In my paranoia, I actually thought I was still in Konoha, in my house. I wasn't fully awake and I was terrified.

"He killed them. He killed them!"

I struggled against him, trying to break his hold on me so I could run. I didn't want him to see me like this. Nobody could see me this weak. My breath caught and I knew I was about to start crying.

Very gently, Sasuke took my hand. He raised it to my neck until I could feel my scar. My eyes closed and I concentrated on the rough skin beneath my fingertips. I wasn't in Konoha. I was in Sound, in bed with my husband.

"You're safe. He's not going to hurt you."

I don't know what made me do it. Maybe I was still half asleep. Maybe my sleepless nights had finally caught up with me. All I knew was Sasuke was there and he made me feel safe.

So safe that I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder and trying very hard not to cry. He didn't push me away. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me. When I look back on it, I'm surprised that he held me, but then, I was just glad he was.

"No one's going to hurt you, Sakura," he whispered into my hair. "I promise."

Somewhere, in the depths of my heart, I felt a crack begin to fill. I knew what it meant and it scared me. It really, really scared me.

Despite it all, when I went back to sleep, I slept soundly. And when I woke up, Sasuke's arms were still around me. They tightened when I moved and my heart clenched.

I was going to have to do a lot of thinking about him. A lot of really hard thinking.

He sighed in his sleep, burying his face in my hair, then he was still. I put my hand over his and drifted back to sleep, safe, for now, in my husband's arms.


	7. Falling Deep Into I Love You

Sorry about the wait, but I've been busy- I had finals and such to do. But I am now a SENIOR and thought I'd celebrate. And I love the over 100 reviews, it's the first time that has happened and let me tell you it's AWESOME. Keep 'em coming!

* * *

Have you ever been tackled by someone? Not like a football tackle but a hug that nearly knocks you off your feet and their arms are around your neck, choking you and for a minute you're scared because you don't know who's hugging you?

Tenten hugged me like that the afternoon after Sasuke and I had our little moment (which scared me slightly, why would we be having moments?). Only she actually did knock me off my feet which caused us both to go sprawling to the floor and the servants to snicker behind their hands.

"Ow," I groaned, trying to pry her arms from my neck. Had she lost her mind? I had been going to the music room, minding my own business when she had attacked me. I had even seen her coming, but she completely surprised me.

"I don't have to marry Hiashi! I don't have to marry Hiashi! I don't have to marry Hiashi!" she shrieked into my ear.

If we had been standing, she might have bounced she was so happy. Not that I could blame her. If someone had told me I didn't have to marry some guy old enough to be my father I'd jump for joy too. Hell, I'd be singing it from the rooftops, whooping and hollering.

Not knowing what to say, and unable to say anything due to happiness, I squeezed her arms and let out a bark of disbelieving laughter.

"It worked?" There was no way, just no way. "My crazy, half thought-out plan actually worked?"

Tenten abruptly released me. "What are you talking about? What plan?"

I sat up, still stunned. "I think I might go into shock."

Tenten looked faintly alarmed. "What did you do?"

I threw back my head and laughed again, shocked beyond all belief. Coming up with a plan had made my brain hurt and I'd eventually given up, deciding to just march into the Council Room and demand that Tenten's marriage be re-thought with as much authority as I could muster.

And it had worked.

"Sakura, not that I'm not grateful or anything, but what the hell did you do?"

"I used my persuasive prowess to convince the Council that you marrying in such a different age group wouldn't be the best of ideas," I said, dusting myself off as I stood.

"You threatened them didn't you?"

I offered her my hand, tugging her to her feet with a small smirk that would make Sasuke proud.

"Only a little." I looped her arm through mine. "Who are you marrying now?"

"No one said. I was just informed that I was not to marry Hiashi as planned and that they'd be in touch shortly."

I made a face. "Sounds like something straight from a letter."

"Probably was, but I could care less." Her face split into a huge grin. "I don't have to marry Hiashi and that's all that matters."

"Not.... exactly."

Tenten looked at me, confused. "Come again?"

"You still have to get married," I told her. "That's the one thing I couldn't fix."

The happy glow that had surrounded her suddenly flickered out as the thought registered. "I might have to marry someone worse...."

_Not if I can help it_, thought my evil inner self. _No more Mrs. Nice Uchiha._

Time for stage two of my master plan.

"Hey, where's Neji?" I asked. Tenten blinked, snapping out of her reverie.

"Most likely training. Why?"

Saying nothing, I vised my fingers around her wrist, dragging her down the hallway behind me as I headed for the training room. I ignored her questions and protests, paying no mind to the strange looks we were getting from the people we passed.

It was obvious that while Naruto and Hinata were hopeless, Neji and Tenten were even more so. Someone had to intervene, and, as luck would have it, that someone was me.

We found him beating the stuffing- literally- out of a dummy. A thin sheen of sweat coated his bare back, muscles rippling as he attacked. Tenten's pulse scrambled under my fingers.

"Hey, Hyuuga, get over here," I hollered. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

Looking mildly irritated, Neji took his time getting to us, eyes on me the entire time. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tenten's gaze slide to the floor. Her pulse, which had calmed slightly, picked up pace as he opened his mouth and spoke.

"What do you want?"

To this day, I'm still mildly scared of Neji. Not that he's ever given me a reason to be afraid of him or anything; he just gives off this intimidating aura that make lesser people tremble.

"Just to clarify a few things," I said, businesslike. "It's for Tenten's wedding."

His gaze flickered, briefly, to the woman at my side before locking on me again. But it was that brief second that sold me. Because when he had looked at Tenten, everything about him had softened, his eyes, his mouth, his posture. One look, and I had everything I needed to know.

Not that that spared him.

"As an Uchiha, I outrank you, so you have to answer the following two questions or I banish you. They're both yes or no questions, so a nod will do."

He didn't look worried in the least. I very nearly smirked. Poor guy. His ego would be wounded for weeks if Naruto ever got wind of this. _Here goes everything._

"Do you love Tenten?" I asked bluntly.

Tenten's head snapped in my direction. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, panicked as she tried unsuccessfully to break my grip and run. I didn't answer, keeping my eyes locked on Neji, who had frozen.

For an entire minute, it was silent. I didn't dare breathe too loudly, afraid that it would break the moment. Tenten's pulse was jumping wildly, though she had stopped moving. I could only imagine what she was thinking.

Then, it was so slight anyone else would have missed it, Neji nodded.

Tenten's pulse actually stopped for a second, beating wildly the next as if to compensate for it.

"Do you want to marry her? Because if you do, you will."

His head barely moved when he nodded. Tenten started to shake. I turned to her, deciding to help her out by being just a little bit cruel.

"Well that's settled. And you thought he didn't love you back," I said loud enough for Neji to hear.

"You what?" Neji sounded so astonished that for a second I thought someone else had spoken. I dropped Tenten's wrist, moving to let him get closer. "You...?"

She made a move to leave. I tried to grab her, no way was I letting her leave after we had gotten this far, but Neji was faster, grabbing her arms, firmly keeping her in place. She refused to look at him, instead turning her head to the side to look at the wall.

"I thought it was obvious," Neji said softly. "For the longest time I worked to keep my emotions in check around you so you'd never find out. I knew the council would never allow us to get married and that pursuing a relationship would never work. But..."

I held my breath. _Say it,_ I silently begged._ Once and for all just say it._ The air was still as those next seven words hesitated even now.

"... it never stopped me from loving you."

Tenten looked at him then. She looked at him for another heart stopping moment, tears just barely visible in the corners of her eyes. I was practically foaming at the mouth now, waiting for Tenten to respond in someway, anyway.

She kissed him, suddenly. He stumbled backwards a single step then wrapped his arms around her waist to draw her closer, and kissed her back. Taking it as my cue to leave, I slipped out the door.

Tenten's wedding would still be on the same date, only the groom changing.

I didn't think she'd mind too much.

* * *

Since that had gone so well, I decided to tackle Naruto and Hinata next. I was on a total power trip and felt like I could take on the world, so I figured, why not?

Because they already had it under control.

For the most part.

I headed for the garden, remembering that Hinata was a frequent visitor. She loved that place as much as I did, spending as much time as possible to escape her clan. Hoping she was there and wondering how I was going to find her if she wasn't, I stepped inside, wandering down the path.

She was there alright.

Making out with Naruto.

I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from yelping I was so surprised. No matter what I had expected to happen between them, seeing it firsthand was something else entirely.

Get your mind out of the gutter, they were only kissing. A lot. Passionately. And I did try to leave, but they heard me, leaping apart as if someone had screamed 'fire'. I think I was actually more embarrased than they were, but then again, who wouldn't be?

Naruto recovered first. "Uh.... I thought about what you said and.... I..."

"Decided to go for it?" I finished.

Hinata flushed red. Nervously, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah... I just... yeah." His gaze strayed to the woman in his arms. "It was worth it, too. Really, really worth it."

My heart swelled. This day was seriously going good. Almost too good. I was starting to wonder when it would blow up in my face. I pushed the negativity aside, settling for being happy for my friends.

"Good for you," I said to them.

Naruto perked up. "Yeah?"

"Yes." I smiled.

Hinata's blush faded to a light dusting across her cheeks. She realized her hands were still fisted in Naruto's shirt and let go abruptly, not quite meeting my eye.

I decided I had interrupted their moment enough.

"My cello's calling my name. I'll see you guys later." I considered the state of their clothes and how much they had jumped when I walked in. "Much, much later."

Naruto, being more of a pervert than I was, followed my line of thinking and flushed, sticking his tongue out at me. I returned it, already turning to leave.

"S-Sakura..." I turned to Hinata, who met my eye, barely. With a deep breath that was more to gather courage than air, she drew to her full height and looked me dead in the eye. "Thank you. So much."

Humbled, I could only nod. _I did nothing,_ I thought about saying but didn't. _I just said what any friend would say. The rest was you._

And when three words floated to my ears, I couldn't help the warm feeling that came over me, making everything just that much better.

_If you screw this up, Naruto, I will kill you._

It was thought with more fondness than actual murder in mind, but I meant it. There was no way I was letting all my hard work go down the drain just because Naruto didn't know how to handle the best thing that ever happened to him.

* * *

I retraced my steps to get back to the music room. Or I thought I did. I ended up in a different part of the manor which, of course, I didn't recognize.

Lost again. Yippee. I seriously needed a map to this place.

Doors surrounded me on three sides. The hallway I had taken lead me to a dead end. With a shrug and the thought that someone would come looking for me if I was gone too long, I opened the door in front of me.

I was outside.

I had been so spectacularly amazed by the inside of the Manor, I hadn't even thought about the outside world. I wished I had. It was a picture perfect day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping happily in the trees. People walked down the road just outside the gate. Someone rode past on a horse, kicking up dirt as they raced away.

I picked up my kimono and set off to explore. The courtyard where I had gotten married was to my left. I went past it without a glance, uncomfortable for some reason. There was a small footpath leading around the corner. I followed it to an outdoor garden.

Even more astounding than the indoor garden, this one actually had food mixed in with the two acres of flowers. There was an orchid in the distance that would have knocked me off my feet in the spring. A paved walkway snaked between the plants, careful to leave three or four inches on either side so the plants wouldn't get trampled.

A small stone bench was nestled under an ancient oak tree. I took advantage of it, giving my aching feet a chance to recover from the amount of walking I had been doing. The wind whistled through the tree, blowing my hair into tangles. It was peaceful in the garden. Even though I could clearly see the people in the distance, I felt like I was alone.

The plants beside the bench were so fascinating, it took me ten minutes to gaze across the walkway. My heart jumped a little when I saw the marker. It was small, the writing on the marble just barely visible from where I was sitting.

_This garden was planted in loving memory of the fallen Uchihas. May we remember you always._

Fallen? Had there been a battle? A war of some kind perhaps? I cast my mind back, trying to remember what I had learned about Sound. No battles to speak of, at least, none that I knew. Sound was still fairly knew as a village. I knew that Sasuke's parents had built the Manor in the early years of their marriage, adding on to it as more members of their family moved in with them.

There was a town a five minute walk from the Manor that was the actually village, but to everyone, the Manor was Sound. It was so huge you could see it no matter what direction you traveled in. I knew that, at one point, the entire Uchiha Clan had lived here.

But something had happened, and now there was just Sasuke. I knew that close to a thousand other people lived in the Manor with us, and that none of them were Uchihas. Just Sasuke and me, me by default.

"So what happened?"

"My brother happened."

To be fair, I was lost in thought, so there was no way I would have heard anybody no matter how loud they were. Which almost justified the scream that ripped from my throat, and the way that I leapt off the bench, drawing a kunai from my sleeve.

Sasuke threw up his hands, universal sign for 'don't fire'. His face twitched like he was holding back a laugh, which he might have been. My heart hammered in my ears.

"Don't ever," I snarled, "do that again."

He tried, and failed, to suppress his smile. With a chuckle, he lowered himself to the bench I had just vacated.

"It's not funny!" I held up my kunai, still freaked. "I could have killed you!"

Sasuke snorted. At my glare, he smirked. "I'm not doubting your kunai-throwing abilities, but I'm not doubting my speed either. I would have dodged it no problem."

"Is that why I've broken your nose twice now?" I needled, stowing away my kunai.

"Touché."

The sun was setting. I must have been gone for longer than I thought, meaning Sasuke came looking for me, finding me after only a little while, judging by the calm look on his face. He'd be irritated with me if it took longer than an hour.

I really needed that map.

"What did you mean your brother?" I asked. "I didn't even know you had a brother."

Like a cloud sliding over the sun, Sasuke's face darkened. The wind blew and I shivered, suddenly cold.

"No one speaks of Itachi. If they do, they do when I'm not where I can hear."

Fireflies danced in the darkness, casting the illusion of peace. The night was chilly but neither of us made a move to go inside.

"What did he do?"

There was silence and for a second I thought he wouldn't answer. Maybe I had pushed too far, asked the wrong question. Before I could change the subject, suggest that maybe we go in, he spoke.

"He murdered my family."

He said it simply, without feeling, but I heard the pain as clearly as if he had screamed. I had spent so long covering the pain in my own voice I could pick it out of others' voices without trying.

And Sasuke, despite appearances, was in agony.

"They call it the Uchiha Massacre, and it was. That's all it was- the killing of all Uchihas. Genocide, nothing more. With one eight year old exception."

"You," I whispered.

"Me. For whatever reason, my brother spared me, telling me instead to run from him, hate him, and one day, kill him." He looked at his hands. Quietly I sat beside him, covering his hand with mine. For a second, I thought he'd pull away, but he turned his palm over, linking our fingers.

"I loved him. More than anything, I had loved my big brother. After that night, it was as if all my love had flipped. From then on, I was obsessed with my training, focusing on nothing but killing him. I even left the village so I could get stronger. I was gone for three years.

"And I found him. I fought him with everything that I had, but it wasn't enough. I wasn't strong enough. He left me nearly dead and I crawled back to the village. I haven't left since."

He gazed into the distance, lost in his thoughts. I felt like I should say something, anything, but I didn't know what. After my family was killed, people tried their hardest to comfort me, but whatever they said always left me feeling worse and wishing they hadn't said anything at all.

This was my first time ever hearing of Itachi, even by name, and I hated him as much as one person could hate another. He had done nothing to me, but Sasuke's pain was enough to make me hate another human being.

But I couldn't possibly hate him as much as Sasuke.

Thinking this, I squeezed the hand in mine, hoping it would bring him comfort, however small. He turned to me, face as blank as ever. But the eyes are windows to the soul, and, just then, his was the saddest I had ever seen.

With nothing to say that would ease his hurt, I rested my head on his shoulder silently, gazing across the walkway at that simple square of cold marble that could never sum up anything yet did at the same time.

We stayed that way until Sasuke, who had tensed at my sudden closeness, relaxed and laid his head against mine in a way that I would almost call sweet.

It had to be at least twenty minutes before we moved. Even then, it was just me who moved, shifting my feet so they wouldn't fall asleep. Our hands stayed linked and, for reasons I couldn't explain, I felt peaceful, like everything was right in the world.

And it was. It really, really was.

Then.

Because nothing lasts forever, right? I want to kill whoever said that. I hate sayings like that. Especially when they come true.


	8. Alarms, Blushes, and Zippers

It's been forever and day, I know. And I'm sorry, but I was in France and left my laptop at home, so there wasn't much I could do. But here you go and sorry for the delay!

* * *

I had an alarm clock. I don't know why I had one (did I not get up early enough on my own?), but I did. Sasuke had presented me with it, saying the council (I knew they had something to do with it) wanted me in the council room by six most mornings to discuss the marriage 'problem'.

"It's not so much a problem as it is unhappiness. In Konoha, you don't have to marry someone if you don't like them. Here, it's a definite possibility."

Sasuke gave me an unreadable look.

"Trying to tell me something?" He asked flatly.

I blinked. "No," I said slowly, surprised that I meant it. "I actually like you- well, now anyways. Sometimes."

It was quiet for a minute. I wondered if I'd overstepped some boundary- were you not allowed to like your husband?- before Sasuke blinked and I realized he'd just been surprised.

"Hn."

I tilted my head to study him. "That's some kind of mantra for you, isn't it?"

He said nothing so I took it to mean that yes, yes it was. Sound- the place where you learn something new every day!

But back to the alarm clock. I hated that thing. Even though I was usually up before the alarm actually went off, I forgot I had it and therefore forgot to turn it off. The alarm itself was this really annoying beeping sound that made me want to hurl the damn thing into the wall.

Once it went off only two hours after I had managed to doze off. Without even thinking I hammered it with my fist, denting it in the middle, warping the numbers and cracking the screen.

"So much for that," I muttered, throwing back the covers and making my way to the closet to pick out the kimono I was going to wear that day. I looked longingly at the few sets of civilian clothes I had brought with me from Konoha, debating on wearing them anyways for the hell of it.

Then I decided that I was ruffling enough feathers as it was and I should place nice as much as I could. Our meetings only lasted three hours; I could change when I got back to our room.

The lights kicked on right as Sasuke sat up. I'd been moving slowly, trying to keep them from turning on all the way, but he woke up anyways.

"Little early don't you think?" he asked blearily. His hair was sticking up at several interesting angles. My mind wandered to ducks and I had to keep myself from snickering.

"Blame the Council," I yawned, ducking behind the changing screen. Undressing behind it still unnerved me if Sasuke was in the room, but I had already been there when he sat up. Turning around to go to the bathroom would've suggested that I didn't trust him; or worse, that I was uncomfortable around him.

Or maybe I was overthinking things again. After the way Neji and Tenten turned out, I had decided to stop thinking so much. Hey, if it worked for Naruto, why wouldn't it work for me?

I tried, and failed, to zip up the back of my kimono. Apparently obis were overrated. Zipping was the new thing- everybody had a zip-up kimono. Since I was married to the most powerful man in the village, I qualified as everybody. My fashion consultant, whom I had never met and suspected to be Anko, had gotten me a few. By a few I meant the majority of my closet was full of them.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," I muttered, nearly dislocating my shoulder as I reached over my shoulder, fingers falling just shy of the zipper.

The bathroom door opened and footsteps approached. "Problems?" Sasuke asked.

"Just a fashion crisis," I gasped out. "Ignore me."

That zipper was not going to budge. I couldn't reach it no matter what I did, short of breaking my back to bend over backwards. How the hell was anyone supposed to work these things? Then I realized that most women who owned these things had husbands or servants. Someone helped them zip them up.

Crap.

"Do you need help?"

Did he sound hesitant? I froze. Sasuke was offering to help me. Help me, a powerful ninja, zip up her kimono. What was the world coming to?

"Um." I thought fast. No way was I letting one of the snotty little maids see me like this, nevertheless help me. But did I really want Sasuke to help me with this?

"Yeah," I sighed, defeated. "Yeah, I do." Damn it all.

I actually liked the kimono- the pattern was really cool. Dark blue had never been one of my better colors, but this just seemed to suit me. A white stripe ran diagonally down the length of the kimono, flowing like a river to the ocean, ending in a fancy twist and some flowers. The top half open to reveal some cleavage (naturally, I couldn't go anywhere without flashing somebody) while the bottom just simply floated away from my body.

But after this, I was so burning it, pattern be dammed.

I stepped out to face Sasuke, who twirled his finger, indicating that I should turn. Ninja are always taught to never turn their back on their opponent because it left you vulnerable. I still had trouble letting Tenten walk behind me- I kept thinking she would poke me with one of the many weapons I'd discovered she kept with her at all times.

Yet I had no trouble bearing my back to Sasuke, gathering my hair in my hands, and letting him reach for me. I tried not to dwell on the fact that my bra was very obviously visible.

I felt the material shift as he tugged to get the zipper straight. His fingers were cold against my warm skin; goosebumps broke out along my arms and I found myself grateful for the billowing sleeves. Then I remembered the slit in the sleeves that made them ribbon and just prayed Sasuke didn't notice what his touch was doing to me.

What was his touch doing to me? It's not like it was the first time he'd touched me, but I'd never gotten goosebumps because his fingers were brushing my skin. I'd never felt chills down my spine because I knew he was doing something for me. I'd never been as painfully aware of him as I was right then.

Something had to be wrong with me.

"It's stuck," he said.

"What?"

"The zipper," he replied, tugging on it a little, "it's caught on the fabric."

I wasn't too sure about my beliefs, but somebody or something up there just had to be laughing at me. They just had to be.

"Can you move it at all?" I asked, turning to look over my shoulder.

Sasuke grunted a little, the zipper didn't budge. It was really and truly stuck. Frustrated, I moved to pull away, intending on wearing something else, but Sasuke wasn't ready to give up.

"I think I can get it," he said. "It might take a minute."

His fingers brushed my bare back, dangerously close to my bra strap. A blush crept into my cheeks before I could stop it. I silently cursed myself. It was just Sasuke for Pete's sake! Why was I blushing?

He worked the material for a second, moving the zipper up and down, while I tried to keep myself in check. What was going on with me? Finally, I heard the sound of the zipper moving. The kimono closed no problem. My hair tumbled back to my hips as I turned to face him.

For some reason, he seemed as uncomfortable as I felt. He didn't quite meet my eye. The smallest trace of color dusted his cheeks. I wondered if it really was that hot in here.

Because there was no way my husband was blushing. No way.

"Thanks," I managed, already backing towards the door.

Sasuke just nodded and I bolted. I walked so fast down the hallway I was practically jogging, servants and people who happened to be up early diving out of my way. Without thinking, I went into the music room, never more grateful that it was empty.

I closed the door behind me, leaning on it like it was the only thing keeping me up. My heart was beating faster than I liked and my palms were sweaty. My breath was threatening to come in gasps and I was shaky.

What the hell had just happened? I reviewed.

Sakura tries to get dressed; Sasuke wakes; Sakura's zipper gets caught; Sasuke helps; Sakura freaks out; Sasuke blushes; Sakura runs to the music room and hyperventilates. The hell?!

That had never happened to me before. Ever. I wasn't inexperienced- I'd had tons of boyfriends in Konoha, ninja and civilian. I even tried dating Kiba, but we'd both agreed that it was like dating a sibling and went back to being friends. It wasn't the first time someone had zipped me up either (I wasn't as innocent as people like to believe), but it was the first time I had reacted like that.

But why had I reacted like that? The whole time Sasuke was behind me, my thoughts weren't 'be on guard, someone's back there' like normal. They ran more along the lines of 'okay heart, Sasuke's back there, freak out time!' I turn around and- surprise!- Sasuke's blushing. Blushing!

"It doesn't make sense!" I yelled. The echo bounced off the high ceiling, hurting my ears. I ignored the pain in favor of my problem.

Did I have a problem? Was Sasuke zipping me up a problem? No, I decided. Him zipping me up wasn't the problem. My, maybe I should say our, reaction to him zipping me up, _that _was the problem. I mean, why would I freak out because he decided to help me?

I pushed off the door and started to pace.

When I first got here, I didn't trust anyone as far as I could spit. But these people had grown on me. Naruto, Hinata, Tenten, I loved them dearly. They were my friends and I would do anything for them.

Had Sasuke grown on me as well?

With a start, I realized that he had. More than I would have liked. We had only been married for three and a half months and I was already deciding to like him. He really was an okay guy. More than okay. He was an asshole, sure, but he truly was a good human being.

Why did that thought send my heart racing?

Naruto chose just then to walk in. Why he was in the music room, I had no idea. If I my brain hadn't been overloading, I might have questioned him. As it was, I was lucky I even noticed him come in.

"You look like you just got shocked by the Chidori," he told me.

"The what?"

"It's this move that Sasuke's got," he explained. "You'd have to see it. In any case, you look like you just found out something surprising and you don't like it."

I did? Did that mean something? Should it mean something? The sun wasn't even up and I had freaked out three times now. This day was going to be so much fun.

"I didn't find out anything," I said. " I just..."

My heart started to hammer again. One little voice whispered that I had found out something and I knew exactly what it meant, but I pushed it away.

"Sakura?"

"Breakfast," I said abruptly. "I need food in my system. Now."

Naruto looked like he was going to say something but he decided against it and held the door open for me.

"It's gonna be one of those days, huh?"

"Looks like it."

"Well, something good did happen," he offered.

"And what, pray tell, is that?"

He grinned. "At least you didn't jump out of your skin when I came in."

As it was my right to, I socked him in the shoulder hard enough to make him wince. Hey, it made me feel better.

* * *

The Council was evil. Yeah, I've said it before, but the need to say it again was simply to overpowering to avoid. Plus, they pissed me off again. They really needed to stop doing that.

"What do you mean Naruto can't marry Hinata?"

Some shifted uncomfortably in their seats. I made them nervous when I was angry, yet they kept pissing me off. Some people never learn.

"What we're trying to say is, the Hyuugas are a prominent clan here in Sound. Uzumaki has no ties to anyone nor was he born here."

"Marrying inside your social circle isn't mandatory," I hissed.

"No," he tugged on his beard nervously. "No, it's not, but it is preferred."

"Free will is what's preferred," I shouted. "And you lamebrains are all corrupted bastards who can't run your own households, let alone an entire country! Geez, get real! You can't force people to do what they don't want to."

"I don't see you fighting to null your own marriage," piped one in the corner with a bad toupee.

"That's because my marriage symbolizes the joining of two counties. I chose this. I will not fight it."

They didn't have anything to say to that. My head had started to pound twenty minutes ago, and apparently it was just going to get worse from here. Which was, you know, just dandy. Not.

"All we're saying," the head honcho droned, "is that we don't think that binding Hyuuga-san and Uzumaki-san together is in the best interest."

"I say you're full of it. You just don't want them together. I don't know why, but you don't. It's ridiculous! They love each other. They've loved each other for a very long time. Back in Konoha, that's enough."

"You're not in Konoha anymore, Mrs. Uchiha."

"Gee, Toto, what gave you that idea?" I snarled. "You guys are idiots and I don't like any of you one bit."

Some of them actually looked shocked. What were they expecting, a pat on the head and a 'thanks for trying'?

"If Naruto and Hinata want to get married, they can. I have more authority than you, than any of you. I can do that. You'd better get used to it, because I'm not going to stop."

The spy from Wave (why hadn't he been deported yet?) stood. "Your husband runs things around here. Not you."

"My husband," I shot back, "agrees with me. He took away your power and gave it to me. We're calling the shots now. Deal with it."

"You can't do that!" they roared.

"Not only can I, I have. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata are to be married in November, not that any of you are invited." I turned my back on the cries of outrage, walking away from the mayhem I created without so much as a backward glance.

Uchiha Sakura, troublemaker extraordinaire. Who knew?

* * *

"Did you have fun reeking havoc among the Council?" Sasuke asked me later that evening.

With a grin I knew he couldn't see (I was behind the changing screen again), I tossed out a bogusly cheerful, "Yup."

He didn't buy it. "What got you pissed this time?"

"Oh, just the fact that the entire meeting, all _six hours_ of it, was spent arguing about Naruto not being good enough to marry Hinata." I felt a brief jolt of satisfaction from Sasuke's hiss of displeasure. "They got an earful, don't worry." I was trying really hard to reach my zipper. "And I pulled rank on them. I never realized how much I missed that."

"Pulling rank?"

"Yeah." My shoulder popped loudly, sending pain shooting down my arm. I winced. "In Konoha, whatever I said was never questioned. I was Tsunade's apprentice and everybody knew it. Most of what I did was under direct orders from the Hokage, and they knew better than to tangle with her."

"Most?" Sasuke asked. It sounded like he was on the other side of the screen. Was he really that close?

"I did get a deep satisfaction of seeing lesser people squirm," I admitted. I bent over, reaching behind me to snag the zipper. My head brushed the screen, but my fingers still fell short of actually touching the metal.

"Did you now." He sounded like he was smirking.

"Hey, I never said I was a nice person," I grunted. "And I did warn you from the beginning that I was no good at following rules."

"Hn."

I nearly fell over, actually stumbling and racking my head on the wooden frame of the screen. "Shit," I muttered. "Ow. Damn, that smarts."

"Having problems?" Did his voice shake a little?

Head in my head, chakra flowing to heal the small cut, I appeared in front of him, heart going a million miles an hour. He looked apprehensive. I felt it.

"... I need you to unzip me."

I saw him swallow.

"Turn around," he said softly.

I complied, already pulling my hair out of the way. I had gotten the zipper a little ways down, leaving about an inch of my bra strap exposed. I pushed all thoughts from my head and concentrated on the sound of the zipper moving.

And getting snagged.

Shit. I mean shoot. No, actually, I really did mean shit. Or whatever ugly curse you can come up with because believe me, I was thinking them all.

"I hate this thing," Sasuke muttered darkly.

"And you're not even wearing it."

I felt the zipper sliding back up as he tried to pull the fabric from the path, but it would only move so far. I suppressed a shiver as his fingers grazed my bare back. Sasuke's breath hitched (oh God, did he see that?) and we both froze.

Suddenly, I felt his hand on my back, reaching down my kimono.

"There's a string," he said softly. "It's caught on the inside."

"Oh."

My voice shook. There was no way he could have missed that. Please tell me he missed that. But his hand and stopped moving, and I knew he hadn't.

He yanked on the string, pulling it out completely. He removed his hand slowly, like he was afraid to touch me, but the was no room in this thing and it almost felt like a caress.

Goosebumps popped up all over my back. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see his reaction in the mirror. Finally, finally, the zipper moved and I was free.

I turned around, determined not to look at him.

Of course I looked at him. And he was, without a doubt, blushing. More than I was, even. His blush would have given Hinata a run for her money. I tried to say thank you, but nothing would come out of my mouth.

I moved forward, tripping on the now longer hem of the kimono. I would have fallen right onto Sasuke if he hadn't caught me around the waist and steadied me. I could feel his heart pounding under mine, both going so fast they were almost humming. One of his hands was on my back, the other at my waist.

The little voice came back, telling me that if I leaned forward just a little...

Sasuke must have had the same little voice, because his hand slid up to the back of my neck, tilting my head just so. Very slowly, he lowered his head until his lips were a breath away from mine. He hesitated, waiting to see if I'd pull away. I stood on my tiptoes, ready for what was about to happen. I felt his lips just barely brush mine, so soft I wasn't even sure if they were touching me at all.

And then that damn alarm went off, totally killing the moment.

Sasuke and I lept apart like someone had walked in. My heart actually stopped for a second.

The alarm wasn't even beeping; apparently my pounding that morning had broken more than the outside because it was making this God-awful moaning noise like it was in pain or something. Sasuke reached over and yanked the cord out of the wall and the noise stopped.

The silence that followed was really loud.

"I'm burning that thing," I said, heading for the bathroom.

"Have at it," Sasuke replied, flopping onto the bed.

I undressed, got in the shower, and tried really hard not to think about what had almost happened. Or maybe it counted as happening. Whatever it was, I was trying not to think about it so hard my head was pounding.

Without a word, I climbed between the sheets, watching the lights dim and flicker out. Sleep seemed like a long ways off, but surprised me by coming mercifully fast.

I can't say that it shocked me that I woke up in Sasuke's arms the next morning.


	9. Chuck Norris's Laughing Ass

"I'm on to you."

I stared at Naruto blankly.

"On to me?" I repeated. He nodded. "On to me about what? What'd I do?"

He glanced to the left, then to the right. He leaned in close, eyes darting back and forth like he expected someone to come around the corner at any second (an actual possibility with all the damn servants running around).

"You," he whispered, "are like Chuck Norris."

Of all the things I had been expecting, that was not one of them. I put my hand on his forehead. He didn't seem feverish. Oh God, he had finally lost it. Hinata had driven him around the bend with all the wedding details. It was a shame really. He had been so much fun.

"Are you medicated?"

He looked insulted. "I'm serious! Have you ever heard some of the sayings he's got?"

I had to think for a second. Chuck Norris. Wasn't he the guy with the beard? Or was that someone else?

"Oh," the lightbulb went off. "You mean the guy who doesn't do push ups? He pushes the entire Earth down?"

Naruto pointed excitedly. "That's it! That's the guy!"

I wasn't sure if he was saying I was strong or if I needed shave. I felt along my chin self-consciously. Naruto hadn't really seen me in action before. I made a mental note to look for hairs in the mirror that night.

"How am I like Chuck Norris?" I asked.

"Okay, have you heard the one about-" there was a crash down the hall. Someone screamed that the other person was a moron. The other person screamed that at least they knew how to spell moron, idiot.

"His ass?" I shook my head. "No, can't say I have."

"Grass!" Naruto said, coloring slightly. "Grass, not ass."

"Oh." Moron yelled for Idiot to get a broom. Idiot screamed that it wasn't his fault, why should he do the work? "Haven't really heard that one either. Or if I did, I forgot it."

"Chuck Norris," Naruto quoted, "does not mow the yard. He glares at the grass and dares it to grow."

It was better than I thought it was going to be, I'll give him that much. Idiot yelled that here, he got the damn broom so moron had to clean it up. Moron said no freaking way. There was a thump. Idiot yelped and swore.

That's what you get for punching the wall, idiot, said Moron.

"I don't get it," I said. "How is Chuck Norris like me?"

"Uchiha Sakura," he said dramatically, "doesn't dismiss the Council. She glares at them and dares them to leave."

I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing. A deep bellied, full-out, side-splitting laugh that took my breath away. All the stress that had built up over the past few weeks was suddenly gone. Idiot and Moron peeked around the corner to see their boss doubled over in the hallway, clutching her stomach.

Naruto looked very pleased with himself. "Thought you might like that," he practically chirped.

After a few minutes of bellyaching guffaws, I managed to calm down. Still giggling, I put an arm around my friend's shoulders and gave him a little squeeze.

"You," I told him, "have way too much time on your hands."

"But you love me."

"How can I not? Now about you treat me to breakfast before I'm forced to eat you."

He mock bowed and offered his arm. With another laugh, I looped my arm through his and let him more or less drag me to the dining hall. That's another thing about Naruto; he doesn't walk anywhere he can run, so usually whoever's going with him looks like they're going against their will.

Which, actually, some of them might be.

* * *

Sasuke was there already, just sitting down, a plate full of golden biscuits and some fruit in his hand. Naruto looked around for some ramen. I kept moving until I got to the coffee. Two sugars and a bit of milk later, I happily caffeinated my body into submission.

"I figured you for black coffee."

I jumped, bobbing my half full cup twice, then watching it fall to the hardwood floor, chipping the rim in two places. I glared at my husband malevolently.

"You made me drop my coffee," I said evenly. "The penalty for that is death, you know."

He took a small step back. "What if I promised to get you another cup?"

My eyes narrowed even farther, until they were just slits on my face. "You'd better. You of all people should know I'm dangerous without my coffee."

A maid appeared out of nowhere, stepping between us and cleaning up the coffee in a flash. The cup was gone and so was she, like she, and maybe the coffee, had never been there in the first place.

Sasuke handed me another cup. I took it and sipped, then relaxed because it wasn't black.

"Is this an apology?"

"Hn."

I took another sip, raising my eyebrow and waiting. He let out a breath between his teeth. I think he even rolled his eyes a little. Men.

"It's as close as you're going to get," he said.

I smiled. "It's close enough. For now." I snatched one of his biscuits and slathered on strawberry jam. He rolled his eyes again, but he smiled, so it was all good.

Naruto sat down across from me noisily, clattering his plate onto the table and sending some grapes rolling. I flicked one at Sasuke, who, much to my disappointment, dodged it. Naruto snickered. My foot itched to connect with his shin.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Sasuke asked, popping a mini biscuit in his mouth.

"Domestic disputes," I said, feigning excitement.

"Oh," he said. "Fun."

"Isn't it though?" I took a healthy bite of my biscuit, dribbling jam down my chin. Naruto snickered again and I kicked him.

Sasuke handed me a napkin. "Death toll?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

I wiped my chin, checking to make sure all the offensive jam had been removed and none had gotten on my kimono. I could see the maids later, doing the laundry, holding up my clothes and laughing at their boss who couldn't even eat without dribbling on herself.

"On how many abusive bastards I see today."

He glanced sideways at me. "Not only men are abusive you know."

I looked at him. "Trying to tell me something?"

Naruto pointed at me. "She's doing the Chuck Norris thing again!" he yelled. A few people turned to look at him. If he wasn't medicated, he needed to be. What had Hinata gotten herself into?

Sasuke blinked. "Chuck Norris? What?"

"I have no idea."

He shook his head. "It's Naruto," he told me. "I don't think anyone has an idea."

"Don't be so mean Teme," Naruto said. "Sakura-chan just might get tired of you and leave."

"Leaving's no use. He'd just find me again."

"Good thing too. Otherwise you'd be wandering around here for the rest of your life."

I took another sip of my coffee. "You'd be laughing your ass off, wouldn't you?"

"Yup."

"Comforting."

"Isn't it though?"

I laughed, jostling him with my shoulder. "Admit it," I said, "you'd miss me."

"Like I'd miss a thorn in my side," he said dryly.

I slugged him. He winced, rubbing his shoulder with surprise. Naruto laughed again, choking in the middle which made me laugh. Tenten came out of nowhere.

"What are we laughing at?"

Jumped again, damn it all. I needed, like, a built in radar or something to tell when people were coming. Or a bodyguard. Actually scratch that. Having someone follow me like a shadow would get on my nerves and I'd probably end up either killing or maiming him.

Naruto chatted with Tenten while I refilled my coffee. I debated over some bacon, then called myself a glutton and managed to walk away. Talk about willpower. I even avoided the doughnuts (with a little regret- I love the plain ones), and just got some strawberries and another biscuit.

"I'm telling you, she's Chuck Norris!"

Tenten laughed. Warily, I looked to Sasuke for an explanation. He just looked back, waiting for me to say something. Was I supposed to say something?

"What?" I finally asked.

"I think he's got you pegged," he said.

My jaw bounced off the ground. "I am _not _like Chuck Norris," I said. They just looked at me. "I'm not," I insisted. Even Sasuke seemed doubtful. "Name one way," I challenged.

"You have ultimate power," Naruto said.

"Chuck Norris doesn't have-"

"You take things on head on and win," Tenten chimed in.

"You hit really hard," Sasuke said, rubbing his shoulder.

"And you're stronger than you look," Naruto finished.

We all looked at him.

"What? Have you ever seen the guy? He's, like, seventy."

Tenten smacked her palm to her forehead. "Age doesn't make a difference in strength, Naruto." Naruto just shrugged and crammed more food in his mouth. Tenten wrinkled her nose in disgust and began to neatly eat her food.

I waited for the coffee to kick in, debating on another cup. Did I really need three cups today, or would two be enough? Then I decided that a day with the Council was not going to be enjoyable no matter how much coffee I had.

Sasuke waved the coffee pot in my direction. I sighed and pushed my cup to him.

"Might as well," I said. "I'm stuck in that room all day today. I can't even check on Amaya."

He poured the coffee. "No progress?"

"Not unless deteriorating before our eyes counts." He passed me the sugar. "She's half blind now, and she's starting to forget things." If she regressed any more...

My heart hurt just thinking about it. The little smart mouth had grown on me.

Sasuke's knee brushed my leg. I glanced up, more than a little startled. He was playing footsie with me? Seriously? But he just wanted me to look at him. My heart, for a reason that was completely alien to me, sank.

"She'll be fine," he said. "She's got the best medic nin in the world looking after her."

My heart pounded after that (what was wrong with me?!), and I smiled. Naruto and Tenten argued about something, oblivious. I brushed my arm against his until he looked at me.

"Thank you."

He took a bite of bacon. "Hn."

* * *

Is there anything more time wasting than a meeting with people you don't like about a subject different from the one you were told thereby making the meeting totally and completely pointless and you know they did it on purpose just to screw with you because they really don't like you either?

No. No there is not.

The meeting wasn't about domestic abuse. It wasn't about anything even remotely domestic. It was about redecorating the Manor. Or repainting it. Or something like that. I stopped paying attention five hours in. There's only so much stupidity I can handle in one day.

The only good thing that happened was that I got to watch the spy from Wave get arrested and led of the chambers in shackles. I didn't think laughing maniacally would be appropriate, so I just smirked behind my hands.

Neji nodded at me on the way out. I smiled and winked back. He didn't scare me so much anymore. He still scared me, though. A little. Shut up. I mentally counted the days. Just a little over two weeks until the wedding, then two and a half months until Naruto's.

Hinata was Tenten's maid of honor. I was Hinata's. Tenten had been mine, which I hadn't learned until the other day. I hadn't really paid attention to a lot on my wedding day. I only remember meeting Naruto.

I finally, finally, got out of the meeting at five in the afternoon. I stood in the hallways and stretched, relishing the way my back popped. Sitting down for twelve hours listening to people argue wasn't my idea of a good day. It probably didn't help that I had Naruto's stupid Chuck Norris thing stuck in my head the _entire time_. I giggled a few times, finally giving the councilmen proof that I really am crazy.

I could hear his voice in my head all day, making up stuff about me. It was only a little distracting. I thought about the dismissing thing toward the end and was sorely tempted to sit and glare at them, just to see what would happen. Knowing my luck they'd leave anyways.

Sasuke intercepted me on my way to the music room. I had really been neglecting my cello and had decided to fix that. But, of course, fate played her hand and dealt me crap again.

I'm proud to say that I didn't run into my husband and break his nose again. I'm ashamed to say that I jumped a mile when he grabbed my arm and started pulling me in the opposite direction.

"Sasuke?"

"It's Amaya," he said, jerking me along. "Something's happened. You're needed there now."

I ran the rest of the way, pulling him behind me.

* * *

_She'll be okay. She's got the best medic nin in the world looking after her._

I stared at my hands, flexing my fingers like I couldn't really feel them. My hands did a lot of things. They healed people as easily as they hurt them. They punched Naruto when he was being Naruto. They moved a bow across my cello strings and made music. They could hold a newborn baby.

_You take on things head on and win._

They poked my husband in the chest and opened doors. They sharpened weapons, ready to kill. They prodded a body, ready to heal. They gave out candy to sick kids. They enjoyed the feeling of flowers in the garden when I needed to get away from it all. They threw things across the room when I got mad.

_You can do it. I have faith in you._

But they couldn't convey messages for me. They couldn't see or smell or hear. They couldn't laugh. They couldn't smile. They couldn't feel pain or sadness. They didn't know sorrow. They didn't know failure.

They couldn't save a nine year old girl.

It hit me harder than I thought it would. Not even a minute after Sasuke found me, Amaya slipped into a coma and didn't come out. She died peacefully, and though it was a comfort, it pained me.

What did I do wrong? What step did I overlook? What step shouldn't I have taken? We never even found out what was wrong with her and she died. She died when I was supposed to be watching over her. I was supposed to have been in the room with her. I should have _been there_.

_Shoulda, woulda, coulda, Sis. Doesn't mean you did._

_Shut up Nii-chan._

She went into the coma alone, with no one in the room with her. The nurses had already made rounds. They thought she was sleeping when they came back around. Her heart stopped a minute later. She was dead by the time I got to her.

I was in the corner of our bathroom, sitting on the floor, staring at my hands. The hands that were supposed to save a little girl. Hands that failed. Sasuke didn't say a thing to me as we went back. What was there to say? She had died, and I hadn't been there.

I buried my face in my hands. Dachi's trial was at the end of the week. He was already back in the holding cells, being interviewed. I had pushed it to the back of my mind, determined not to worry about it, but now it was right up there with Amaya's death.

The door opened.

Footsteps came closer and someone kneeled in front of me. I didn't look up. I didn't move. I didn't even breathe. I was afraid if I did anything, I'd shatter right there.

Sasuke's arms were around me and suddenly it was too much. Amaya's death, Dachi back, even the murder of my family, all of the times I didn't cry but should have, all the emotions that I had held back were swirling inside me let lose and I knew, I just _knew_ I was going to cry.

I buried my face in Sasuke's chest, trying to hold it back. I wasn't going to lose it now, not when I had worked so hard to stay strong. Not when I tried every day to face the world with a smile, no matter how much I wanted to scream. Not when Sasuke could see me weak. Not when his arms were around me, holding me close and my face in his chest.

"Let it go," he whispered. "Just let it all go."

And I did, shedding months of pain and suffering into my husband's chest as he held me in his arms on that cold tile floor. I cried for Amaya, dying alone when her life was only beginning. I cried for Sasuke, family taken from him at the hands of his own flesh and blood. I cried for Natsu, for Mom, for Dad, for all the people who had suffered at the hands of another. I cried for all the things in the world that couldn't be fixed.

Only when I was nearing the end, my sobs turning into silent tears streaming down my cheeks and Sasuke's shirt already soaked, did I cry a few tears for myself.


	10. IDK My BFF Ino?

I woke up screaming. Not the first time it had ever happened, not even the first time it had happened in Sound, but it was the first time I didn't know why. Usually my nightmares were vivid, terrifying me to the point of consciousness and keeping me awake. This time, however, whatever had scared me simply vanished when I opened my eyes.

I told myself it had nothing to do with the fact that when I opened my eyes, Sasuke was the first thing I saw. He was towering above me, all dark and gloom, like some cut-rate horror film. But instead of scaring me, his presence comforted me. As soon as my brain registered that he was there, I abruptly became calm, like there was no reason to be scared anymore.

There really wasn't.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Think so," I rasped out, throat sore from screaming. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "You screamed and it woke me."

I winced. "Sorry." I made a vague gesture to my own face. "Did I do that too?"

He gingerly felt along his chin. A large welt had formed, angry and red, looking about the same size as my fist. If I had hit him, he was lucky he was conscious. Sasuke was stronger than he looked.

"Yeah," he said. "You clocked me pretty good."

I sat up, already running my fingers along the wound, mind working as I determined the best way to heal it. Simple bruise, mild irritation of the skin and muscle. Very little chakra needed.

"You need to shave," I commented.

He just blinked. I grinned, running my hands along his face to search for more damage. If I hit him once, there was a good chance that I had gotten him again. Seeming to understand what I was doing, Sasuke turned his head to reveal a knot on his temple.

"Sorry."

"Hn."

And I was. I knew how hard I hit- physical punch amplified by my chakra control meant I packed a wallop. Not to mention that I had ninja training. Even in sleep, I knew where to hit in order to incapacitate someone. Even if that someone was my sleeping husband.

I glanced at him. I had hit him several times, woken him up with my screams, nearly kissed him, broken his nose twice, and broken other people's bones in front of him. Yet he still shared the bed with me.

"How do you sleep at night?" I wondered aloud.

"Very cautiously," he answered, standing and stretching. I glanced at the clock- was it time to get up already? "Although you're not as terrifying as you think."

I bumped my hip against him on my way around the bed. "You don't exactly make it hard to sleep at night, you know." He gave me a funny look. "Well, you act all big and bad and I'm sure you scare a few servants, but I know you. You're nothing but a big softie."

His onyx brow arched. "Oh, really?"

Uh-oh.

In the space of a second, he leaped across the room, tackling me and causing us to go sprawling onto the bed. Although the bed was soft, the wind got knocked out of me for a moment.

Sasuke smirked down at me.

"Do you care to revise your observation?"

"Not really."

He shifted, distributing his weight more evenly as he leaned down. He had to be heavy- the guy was nothing but muscle, but his face was inches from mine and I was too distracted to care. (Though I couldn't help but notice that my body was a perfect fit against his. Why I noticed, I couldn't say.)

"So," he said, breath tickling my lips, "you don't find me intimidating at all?"

My heart began to pound. "Not in the slightest."

"And you really think," he said, getting so close that our noses were touching, "that I'm soft?"

"... yeah." My voice sounded faint, even to my own ears.

I waited for him to do something. To smirk and say some remark that would make me snap back. Or to get up and start getting ready for the day. Maybe just roll off me and go back to sleep, leaving me to wonder what the hell was going on inside his head (and mine while we're on it). I waited for something, anything.

But he didn't move.

We stayed like that, neither of us moving, for what felt like forever. I didn't dare to blink, eyes still locked on his. I saw my own reflection in his black orbs, my hair splayed out behind me, a few wild strands on my face. My arms were pinned between my chest and his, fingers curled into fists. How did I look to him, I wondered. Or better yet, what was I to him?

I almost kissed him once. He comforted me when my nightmares scared me awake, held me the one time I cried. What else had he done for me? And why did it I felt like it was... right? That whatever he was doing for me, to me, was supposed to happen?

I didn't know. But believe me, I was going to find out.

He wasn't too sure himself. At least, I think he was curious. Curious enough that no sooner had the kissing thing crossed my mind was he leaning forward and touching his lips to mine.

I didn't know what to expect. Fireworks and a celestial choir? Disappointment? Maybe even nothing, like nothing had even been there in the first place. (Which, I'm sad to say, had happened before.) A little spark of interest? Sure. Some lust? Don't mind if I do. I mean, it was Sasuke, who confused me to no end. I was expecting a lot of things, braced for whatever was to come.

But not, however, braced for Naruto to come barging through the door.

"Hey have you seen- oh God my eyes!"

Feelings of attachment and love in the brother kind of way aside, I was certain that I was going to kill him. If I didn't, Sasuke sure as hell would. In fact, if Naruto hadn't backed up several feet, I was fairly confident in saying Sasuke would have slit his throat without so much as a second thought.

"Okay, I really didn't need to see that. Like, at all." He blinked, saw the bloodlust in our eyes and winced. "Sorry, I just-"

"What," Sasuke snapped, "do you want?"

Naruto gulped. "Uh.... Some girl's here to see Sakura. Blonde hair, really loud. She says her name's Ino."

"Ino?!" I leapt to my feet. "Ino's here?"

Apparently no one warned Naruto that I could go from murderous intent to leaping for joy in point three seconds.

"Yeah," he said slowly, still wondering if I was going to kill him. "Is that good?"

I was already behind the changing screen, having shed my sleeping garb. I had my kimono on in record time and was out the door before Sasuke even stood up. I passed Hinata on the way, who seemed to know where I was headed because she simply dove out of my way and offered me a smile.

Ten seconds later, I was leaping at Ino, and then we were both laughing and shrieking and jumping up and down and hugging each other. The servants gave us some weird looks, but we didn't care, we just kept hugging.

It's what best friends do.

* * *

"Okay, so I was in bed, sound asleep, when all of a sudden my phone rings, waking me up and making me fall right onto the floor, right? And I'm like, who calls at two in the morning? Turns out, you and Tsunade are both insomniacs."

"Really? Tsunade's always been one to sleep a lot." Massive understatement there. A great leader she may be, but you do NOT get our Hokage up before noon. You just might get yourself killed or dismembered or both. I'm the only one to ever escape unscathed and even then there was an emergency.

Ino shrugged. "Maybe she was working."

We both got a good laugh at that.

"Okay, she called you, then what?"

"I wind up here. Seriously, she wouldn't even let me get in a hello. She just started telling me what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. Then she told me I was leaving in an hour and here I am."

Indeed she was. And I couldn't be happier to see her. Ino, my best friend since before I could remember, was here, with me. I didn't know why, or how this all worked out, but I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I decided not to worry and just enjoy the fact that I had my best friend back.

I looped my arm through hers and led her down the hallway, silently praying we were going the right way. Behind us, the butler began to pant as Ino's bag got heavier and heavier. I gave him an apologetic smile. Ino had never been a light packer.

"So who's this mysterious husband of yours, hm? The infamous Sasuke."

"Infamous?"

We both jumped about a foot. Sasuke smirked broadly, obviously amused at the women from Konoha that jump every time someone talked. I glared at him, reaching over to slug him.

"You know," I said as he dodged my punch, "it's common curiously to alert people to your presence so they don't get ten years shaved off their lives."

"I'm not exactly common."

"So I gathered," Ino piped. "So you're Sasuke, the one who scares the crap out of Sakura."

"And you're the one who taught her to speak her mind." He shook her hand. "Not sure how I feel about that."

Ino winked at him. "Oh, you'll figure it out. Now tell me, is Naruto as annoying as Sakura says he is?"

"More so, I can assure you."

"Hey!" Naruto appeared from a side hall. Hinata shuffled forward, uncharacteristically not shy for once. She peered up at Ino.

"I think I know you," she said. "Didn't we use to be neighbors?"

It took Ino a second. Her face lit up and she hugged Hinata hard.

"Hyuuga Hinata! I knew the name was familiar." She put Hinata back onto her feet. "I just couldn't picture your face. What's up? How've you been?"

Sasuke looked at me.

"I can't believe she's your best friend."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"She's just so..." He studied her, as if looking at her enough would help him describe her in words. "Loud. She's loud."

"I am not!" Ino screeched. Beside her, Naruto winced.

I grinned up at my husband. "You'll get used to her."

He just looked at me, disbelieving.

"Hey, come on. If you can put up with Naruto, Ino will be no problem."

* * *

Tenten absolutely _loved _Ino. I had been nervous about introducing them, afraid Ino would annoy Tenten and therefore Tenten would have to stab her, but they really hit it off, exchanging stories about me, much to my chagrin.

"... next thing I know, the guy's limping past us, shooting death glares at me."

"It was your fault and you know it."

"How was I supposed to know he was a pervert? And anyway, you didn't have to hit him _that_ hard."

"You're lucky I didn't hit you."

"Oh, man. She still does that?"

"What? The Chuck Norris glare? All the time."

Ino burst out laughing. "That is priceless. Oh God, I have to tell Kiba that one. Chuck Norris, heh."

It was nice to know my friends were all getting along. I just wish they would find something other than me to talk about. I mean, come on. All three of them were getting married soon. Why couldn't we talk about that?

"Because you're so much more interesting," Ino said when I brought it up. "Everyone in Konoha is sick to death of hearing about my wedding. Even Shika is more unwilling than usual."

Tenten groaned. "I know what you mean. Neji's decided to take the hands-off approach when it comes to this stuff." She took a sip of her water. "By stuff, of course, I mean anything even remotely related to the wedding."

"Couldn't you just threaten him? You've got all those weapons."

"I can't. I love him to much."

"Oh, phsaw," Ino slung her arm over Tenten's shoulder. "I love Shikamaru, but I threaten him on a daily basis."

"If Neji-nii-san won't do anything," Hinata said, "remind him that I am his cousin as well as your maid of honor. I will blackmail him if I have to."

Ino glanced at her. "Why I do believe you're evil." Hinata just grinned. Suddenly she lunged for me. More than a little surprised, I jumped back, trying to avoid her. Had she gone crazy? What was with these people?

"I can't believe I forgot! Naruto told me about you and Sasuke. Is it true? Did you two really kiss? Really?"

The shock that radiated from Tenten was almost audible. Ino squealed and clapped her hands. "I so figured! I mean, in your letters you tried to sound like you didn't like him but I could tell. I could just tell that you like him. Oh, God," her eyes widened. "Are you in love with him?"

"_What?_"

Tenten's eyes were as wide as the plates we were eating off. "Oh my God."

I don't know who, probably the same person who laughed whenever my zipper had gotten snagged all those days ago, was laughing their _ass_ off right now.

"All the signs are there! He's protective, mysterious, sweet-"

"Sweet?" I laughed. "Ino, I know you don't know Sasuke that well, but he is not sweet. Not by a long shot."

"I don't know," Tenten said, still dazed. "He is awful nice to you. All that stuff you say to him, all the snappy remarks? He wouldn't put up with that for a second with anyone else."

Hinata pointed at her. "True. Not to mention he didn't even question it when you said Dachi attacked you. He just hit him." She turned to me. "How'd the trail go anyway? We weren't allowed in."

I felt anger burn in my stomach. The trial had been short. My word against his hadn't been enough, and all the other women who said they'd testify against him never showed. In fact, they all left Sound and we haven't seen them since. Sasuke and I believe they were either threatened or bribed.

"He got off scott free except for what Sasuke and I did to him. He'll be in the wheelchair until his leg heals, but that's it."

Ino frowned. "Tell me that Sasuke at least hit him hard."

"Hard enough to knock him out."

She raised her glass. "Well a toast is in order then." We exchanged glances but followed her lead. "To the men in out lives, may they be sweet, funny, annoying, loving, or confuse the hell out of us. Either way, we can't live without them."

"Here, here!" Tenten cheered. We all laughed, enjoying the feeling of happiness that surrounded us that day.

* * *

Ino left the next day, after a tearful goodbye and handing me a video tape and making me promise to watch it later. Understandably wary, I agreed, stowing it in my room until further notice. Whether it would make me laugh, cry, or cringe I didn't know (my vote was on the latter), but I'd keep my promise.

Sasuke came in a little after ten and I pounced.

"Whoa." He staggered a little under my sudden weight, but I clung to him and didn't fall. "What was that for?"

"Thank you," I said. "For bringing Ino here. You don't know how much that meant to me."

Ino told me that Sasuke had called Tsunade personally, explaining about Dachi and Amaya and that I needed a friend. A friend named Ino. He paid for the carriage to come get her and the guards for her safe trip. Because I had missed her (I told him _once_ that I missed her), he brings her all the way from Konoha. He did it for me. Whatever the reason he told himself, he brought my best friend all the way from a different country because... because I needed her.

"You're welcome," he whispered, looking down at me.

Both times it had been Sasuke who kissed (or almost kissed) me. This time though, it was me who leaned forward and touched our lips together. And this time, a clock didn't go off, Naruto didn't walk in, and I heard the celestial choir and felt whatever the hell it was I was supposed to feel. I really, really did.

Sasuke seemed to like it too.


	11. Panicking Now, Please Hold

Note: Really short, I know, and I'm sorry, but a lot happens, so I hope that makes up for it. Enjoy!

* * *

I couldn't move. My limbs felt like useless lumps of lead- I couldn't even feel them. My head throbbed and I knew it had gotten hit at some point. I tried to remember what had happened. Planning for the wedding and Tenten's gown fitting- I remembered that.

Not much to go on considering she had been shoved in that damn gown nine times because the seamstress was so intent on perfection that it bordered on anal, but it was a start at least.

Didn't I walk Tenten back to the Hyuuga wing to give her to Hinata? I thought so. It was still fuzzy and made my head pound to think about it. Flowers, I thought vaguely. Hinata was in charge of flowers and the bachelorette party. But why was I sprawled out on the floor? Did we have the party and all get drunk and pass out? Or just me?

I took a careful glance around. I didn't see anyone. I didn't sense any chakra either, at least, nothing that was close. Wherever I was, I was far off from almost everybody.

My mouth was dry and for a second I wondered if I was about to puke. Study of the human body combined with knowing my own body well, I knew I wasn't about to blow chunks. While good, it confused me. Why was my mouth dry? I tried to move my jaw and then reality settled in with a sickening amount of clarity.

I was bound and gagged.

Shit.

What the hell had happened? How did I get here, wherever here was? And who had gotten me? I wasn't kidding when I had said I was a good ninja. Maybe not the best anyone's ever seen, but definitely good enough to hold my own. Whoever had dragged me here was stronger than me, which eliminated over half of Sound.

Assuming this was a political capture, reasons varied from being married to the Kage or to this somehow being Dachi's doing, I could be tortured for information or held for ransom. Torture, I could handle. Someone was bound to slip up and then I could bring a world of hurt down on their heads. Being held for ransom was unpleasant, but only my ego would be damaged.

Assuming this was a political kidnapping. If it was something else...

I tried not to think about it. I had to focus on escaping. First thing, getting untied. The ropes that bound me were nothing more than that- ropes. I could break them easily even without my chakra enhanced strength.

I stood carefully on my shaky legs, a little insulted. Whoever had taken me had gone through a lot of trouble to get me, but to tie me up with just rope? Even a genin could have broken through those knots. Obviously, this person had not done their homework. Or maybe they were just stupid.

Then I decided that as long as I got away safely, I really didn't care.

Stomping my foot to wake it up, I took note of my surroundings. Concrete walls, floor, and ceiling. Smelled musty. Something leaked somewhere, the drip echoing and creeping me out a little. A large wooden beam was in the middle of the room, about a thick as my forearm. Support beam?

So I was in a basement? Maybe cellar or underground bunker, something along those lines. I didn't see a door, meaning whoever brought me there did so by teleportation jutsu. I could've done one myself and gotten out of there, but I didn't know where I was. If I just randomly appeared outside, I could walk right into a trap. Plus, I had no idea how far away I was from the Manor. I had to conserve whatever chakra I could in case I needed to fight.

There was a tiny window to my left, high up on the wall and covered by bars. I took hold of two of them and hoisted myself up. All I could see was grass, and a lot of it. The grass around the Manor was mowed on a regular basis and judging by the height of what I could see, I wasn't anywhere near it. For all I knew, I wasn't even in Sound anymore.

After a brief inventory check, I realized that I had no weapons on me either. Even my holsters were gone. Meaning whoever had removed them was either ninja or a very clever civilian. To be better safe than sorry, I decided to assume it was ninja.

There wasn't much in the basement/cellar/bunker. At all. The dripping noise was caused by a leak in the roof and a puddle on the floor. I found a small door that I had to crawl through, but it lead to a toilet and a supply of food and water. I took that to mean that I was going to be kept for a while.

Was Sasuke worried yet?

Better yet did he even know I was missing? Or did he think I was lost again and decided not to worry? I hoped not. We had been doing whatever it was we were doing (mostly just making out) for almost a week. In that week, Sasuke had showed a possessive side.

Which would have been sweet if I wasn't so stressed about Tenten's wedding. We had three days to pull everything together, two days for the bachelorette party and to recover, one day for final fittings, then it was show time. I hoped that whatever was going on didn't mess that up.

Then a brand new worry exploded in my head. What day was it? Had I been gone long enough for people to start worrying?

"Of all the times for me not to be wearing a watch," I grumped. I had a watch, a nice waterproof one with a little square in place of the three that told you what day it was. For some unknown reason, I didn't put it on when I left my room. Go figure.

Panic had never been an option for me- I didn't tend to do it. I kept my cool and took things head on. As soon as I figured out what was going on, that's what I was going to do.

I sat down to think of a plan, then squealed and shot to my feet. The damn floor was cold!

Actually, everything was cold; the walls, the window, even the toilet seemed cooler than it should be. Winter was approaching, so it was nearly cold in the mornings.

Did that mean it was morning?

Another window check to look for the sun told me it was. Sasuke should have noticed my absence. Somebody should have. Naruto would miss me at breakfast.

My stomach rumbled. I put my hand to it, thinking. The last thing I remembered was dropping Tenten off and heading back to my room for.... for what? Did I forget something or was I just hoping Sasuke was there? My vote was on the latter. I was hungry, but not so hungry that it was affecting me, I just felt like it was time to eat.

So it was the morning after what I remembered last. I had been gone for at least ten hours. Great. Just great. Right when I think that maybe things were going to be okay after all, that I could live with how things were going, this happens. Kidnapped right when things were going good.

It so figured.

* * *

Two granola bars and half a bottle of water later, I decided to make a bomb. Not the best plan (I could blow myself up), but a plan nonetheless. If I made it small enough, I could get to the small room with the toilet and such in it and not get killed. If I made it powerful enough, I could blow the window out.

I had already tried to just yank the bars out and smash the window, but it didn't work. The bars, more stubborn that me, bent in the slightest way after half an hour of tugging. Whatever they were made out of, it was strong.

The window itself was just a window, but it was small. If I was a small as I liked to think, I might be able to wriggle out of it and escape. I might have to shed my kimono in order to fit, but I figured wandering around in your bra and underwear was a small price to pay for freedom.

If the bars hadn't been there, it would've been too easy, but as it was, the bars were there and they had to go.

I also couldn't just punch my way out. Wherever I was, I was underground, meaning that, even if I could make a hole in the wall, I'd be facing dirt and would then have to dig my way out. I didn't have anything to dig with, and digging with my hands could take days. So a bomb it was.

"Okay Deidara, I never liked you, but I learned from your bombs so I guess I owe you thanks." I mulled that over for a second. "Or not."

I gathered what I could and arranged it on the floor in front of me. Then I stared at it. Was it even possible to make a bomb out of this stuff? Yes. Could I do it without getting killed? Yet to be determined.

The broken old-fashioned alarm clock with the bells would serve as the bomb itself. Just like in the movies, huh? All I needed was two sticks of dynamite and some duct tape. Actually, I would have loved to have some dynamite- I would've gotten out a hell of a lot faster.

But I didn't, so I had to make do with what I did have. Which wasn't much. I'd be lucky if the bomb actually turned into a bomb rather than a bunch of junk I piled together.

"Tsunade told me to take that bomb-making class. Did I listen? Nooo. I just had to go on that mission to Sand. Just had to."

Talking to yourself may be crazy, but it fights boredom. If nothing else, you'll figure out what mistakes you made in life that came back to bite you on the ass.

* * *

"Well this isn't working."

An understatement to say the least. I had pricked my fingers so many times that the clock was soaked with blood. And since I had nothing to clean it off with, it was now ineffective.

I glared at the ceiling. "I hate you," I said to whoever listened. Maybe it wasn't just one person- maybe it was a group of people who watched over me and laughed at my pain rather than helping me. When I died, assuming I went to wherever they are, I was so punching them.

The bomb idea was out the window. What now?

As it turns out, a lot.

Chakra came close and I stood. Fight or flight? Well, I couldn't really do either or I would've been gone already, so I took the other option: hide. I dove behind the support beam just in time to feel the teleportation jutsu being complete. Whoever had taken me was now in the same room as me.

I was terrified.

Calm, I thought. I have to stay calm so I can get out of this.

I didn't know what was going to happen. Life, I had figured out, liked to shoot my plans to hell. So my plan was to not have a plan. Just fight whoever it was and get the hell out of there- after getting information of course.

As much as I hate to admit it, this wasn't my first kidnapping, so I knew what to do. The first time I had gotten nabbed, I just beat the guy senseless and went home. Tsunade whacked me once for scaring her. Then again for getting no information about why I was taken, who the guy was, how they knew where I was going to be.

Information was crucial.

So whoever was out there (if they were the bad guy- I didn't want to wallop somebody who came to rescue me) was about to get a lot of hurt put on them. Once they were subdued, I'd start asking questions, putting into effect Natsu's 'hit first, ask questions later' policy.

The first thing I was going to find out was who really had me. My imagination had been running wild with possibilities and I figured that if I saw who it really was, I wouldn't be as freaked out. I mean, I'd at least know who I was up against.

Rule number one in a fight; know what you're fighting. And right now was not the best time to be breaking rules.

"I know you're there," a dark voice said. "This bunker doesn't offer much in hiding places."

Shivers ran up my spine. Whoever it was, they were male. Older than me, maybe thirty? And they sacred the hell out of me. No joke. Their voice alone was enough to make me want to run, screaming, in the other direction. I should have.

Because I peeked around the beam to see just who it was that had me, that scared me so much that I was about to panic, that managed to nab me without me even knowing.

And I panicked.

* * *

*Sasuke*

Sakura still wasn't back. I didn't know where she went or what was keeping her, but I was starting to get pissed. Who vanishes for thirteen hours without a word? My wife, apparently.

She was going to get an earful when she got back.

I never thought that someone could blow all my emotional control right out of the water. She's worse than Naruto.

"Still not back?" Neji asked. I didn't answer, but he got the message. "Don't worry, I'm sure wherever she is, she's fine."

"I'm not worried."

He just looked at me with that all-knowing look of his.

"All I'm saying is, if it were Tenten, I'd be out of my mind right now."

It was my turn to look at him. This was the extent of our relationship. One of us said something that either confused, pissed off, or made sense to the other one. Despite that, we trusted each other with our lives.

More importantly, I trusted him to look out for Sakura.

With Naruto, looking out for others was a given. If someone was in trouble, he went to help, no questions asked. It surprised me when Neji offered his assistance to Sakura. Of course he had muttered something about owing her for Tenten, but that had been the end of the complaints.

So when it rolled around to their wedding, I gave Tenten the freedom to do whatever the hell she wanted with the Manor. As long as it got cleaned up and nothing was permanently damaged, I didn't care. She was very pleased and, according to Sakura, decided she didn't hate me after all.

"Hn."

Neji rolled his eyes. "It's okay to be worried. I'm a little concerned myself."

I blinked, trying to register that statement in my mind. Neji doesn't get worried about people he barely knows. He just doesn't. And while Sakura was responsible for him being happier than he'd ever been, he really didn't know too much about her.

"I owe Sakura a lot," he said. "And so do you. Everybody around her seems attached to her in some way. She's always somewhere doing something to help someone." He glanced at me. "The last person to see her was Tenten and that was last night. You said she didn't sleep in your room and no one seems to be able to locate her now."

He said it so matter-of-fact, it made me wonder why I wasn't panicking. But I don't panic. Uchiha's don't panic. Ever. You had a better chance of getting Naruto to give up ramen forever than to see an Uchiha panic.

Naruto burst into the room, wild eyed and gasping for breath.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked.

"Hinata probably wanted to talk about the wedding. She's worse than-"

"We've got a problem," Naruto interrupted. "It's Sakura."

"Did you find her?" Did I sound hopeful?

Something changed in Naruto's face. I had seen that look before. He knew something, something bad, and didn't want to tell me.

I thought she was dead. For one terrible second, I pictured Naruto telling me that they had stumbled across her body, that I wasn't ever going to see her again. My heart started to pound as the second dragged out.

What Naruto told me was worse than I could have ever imagined.

"Itachi's here," he spat. "He's here and he's got Sakura."


	12. Stay With Me

Note: some people want Itachi's story in this. Things will get explained soon, I promise. Just not for a couple of chapters. This _is_ Sakura's story, so she's got to wait until Sasuke tells her exactly why. Be patient and try not to harass me.

* * *

"Stay with me."

I was in pain. Every cell, every muscle, every fiber of my body was screaming at me to close my eyes and shut away the pain. It hurt me to even draw a breath.

"Stay with me."

Something warm and sticky- blood?- spread across my face. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but even that involuntary moment hurt. It hurt me to move, to think, anything. Whatever it was, whatever I did, it just _hurt_.

I wanted to sink into nothingness. Sleep and numbness pulled at me, promising to make the pain go away. The pain was unbearable, sinking its teeth into every part of my body and refusing to let go.

"I've got you. Stay with me."

What had happened to me? What did I do, what had been done, that would make me hurt so badly? My mind was foggy, but through the haze there was one coherent thought I knew, without a doubt, to be true.

I was dying.

My body was a wreck. Bones were grinding together and blood seemed to ooze out of every place it could. My heart was beating, albeit faintly, but it was still working. For now. I assessed my condition with my medical mind, the only part of me that was functioning.

A wet wheezing sound came from me every time I tried to take a breath. More than likely I had punctured a lung with one of my shattered ribs. My sternum was cracked and pressing down on my heart, causing it to fail. Blood dripped down my face, soaking my neck and shoulder. I had a concussion and, I was fairly certain, a cracked skull. I wasn't sure how much blood I had lost, but I knew it was way too much.

With sickening clarity, I realized I wouldn't even make it to a hospital.

"Stay with me."

Of all the ways I could have died, this wasn't how I wanted it. I wanted to die of old age, surrounded by my family and friends, laughing and talking about the good times. I didn't mind the idea of dying in battle as long as it saved lives and the bad guy went down with me. However great my injuries were, I knew it was from a fight that I had lost, and that bothered me.

I became aware of another sensation, not painful, but annoying. Like a fly that kept landing on you, flying away just before you can swat it, and landing on you again a second later. And whatever it was, it was cold. Cold and wet.

It took me twenty seconds to realize that I was outside, and another five to notice that it was raining. The cold, wet, annoying feeling had been the rain pelting me in the face.

"Stay with me. You're going to be okay, just stay with me."

It was dark, wet, and cold. I couldn't see, I couldn't talk, I couldn't move. There was just nothing. Nothing but the pain and the cold. Numbness started to spread, signaling that I was going into shock. I should have been worried, in my condition shock could quickly be followed by death, but the pain was gone and I was just grateful.

"Stay with me."

With the pain gone, I became more aware of my surroundings. There was rubble to my left, nothing but concrete and a thick beam of wood laying in piles in the mud. Whatever it was once, it wasn't anymore, that was for sure.

Black flames, high and thick, burned, seemingly unaffected by the rain. Where I knew grass used to be, there was nothing but cracked earth and spilled blood. My mind sluggishly worked it out, slowly telling me that a fight, more than somewhat epic, had taken place.

A fact confirmed when I saw the body.

"Stay with me."

It was off to the side, covered in mud and blood and strips of a dark cloak. It took me almost a full minute, but I recognized him. The cloak, black and covered with red clouds, told me I was looking at the body of Uchiha Itachi.

And just like that, I remembered.

Itachi had appeared in the bunker and I had attacked him. My hands came together in seals, allowing me to do the jutsus I had missed so much. I put every ounce of my strength into the fight, determined to get away, but it hadn't been enough.

I got in maybe two good hits and was going for a third when he grabbed me out of mid-air and tossed me like a rag doll. My arm sliced open, blood spilling onto the concrete floor. I didn't dare waste chakra to heal it. Not that Itachi gave me the time to. Before I could blink, he was right in front of me, striking me in the chest with a blow that took my breath away.

The fight had been a short and painful loss. I was beaten six ways from Sunday and he wasn't even out of breath. I had at least three broken ribs, a broken sternum, and a cracked skull. Itachi barely had a bruise.

But now he was dead, and I couldn't figure out why. I had used my chakra-enhanced strength to smash the support beam and bring the bunker down on us. Most likely the rest of my injuries weren't from Itachi, but from my own actions. I had known that I couldn't get out of the way of the rubble, but I brought the building down anyways, hoping to at least wound Itachi. I seriously doubted that had killed him, so what had?

"Stay with me."

My eyes tried to focus on the figure above me but my brain kept telling me to sleep, just sleep. I knew that if I gave in, if I closed my eyes and surrendered to the overwhelming urge to sleep, it was likely I'd never open my eyes again.

I would die. If I died, I would never see Naruto trip over his words again. I'd never hear Hinata's stammer or see her blush. I'd never be a part of Tenten's wedding. I'd never get to follow through on my threats to the Council.

And Sasuke. I'd never see him, never kiss him, never annoy him ever again.

"Stay with me, Sakura. Stay with me."

Finally, finally, I could see through the fog in my brain. Sasuke was holding me, his face buried between my chin and my shoulder whispering so intently it was like he was screaming.

"Stay with me," he begged.

His hand, bloody and obviously broken, brushed away the dirt and stray locks of hair from my face. He had a deep gash across his chin and various blood splatters everywhere. I couldn't have been happier to see him.

"Stay with me," he whispered. "Just stay with me."

"Where else would I go?"

Sasuke jerked back, startled by my voice, searching my face intently. He smiled suddenly, still stroking my face. Gently, like he was afraid I'd break, he kissed my split and swollen lips, careful not to hurt me in any way.

"You stay with me Sakura," he ordered. "Don't you leave me."

I wanted to tell him I wouldn't, that I'd always be around to annoy him and break his nose, but darkness suddenly started to settle around me and I knew I didn't have much time.

"Sakura?"

_Tell him_, I thought. _Tell him now, while you can, before it's too late. Tell him..._

"Sakura?"

My heart sputtered, beginning to slow. I knew there wasn't much of a chance, I was starting to die now. Only the best of medics could put me together and even then I probably still wouldn't make it.

_Tell him now... tell him..._

"Sakura?"

_Tell him..._

"Sakura... no..."

_Tell him you love him._

"Stay with me... please... stay..."

_I love you._

"Stay..."

_Can you hear me?_

"Sakura..."

_I love you._

"_SAKURA!"

* * *

_

And again, there was nothing. Just a pleasant haze of darkness, keeping me suspended in nothing, telling me that everything was fine, just fine. The pain came in short bursts, but it came often and I slipped into darkness again.

The darkness didn't hurt me. It kept me from feeling pain.

_Stay with me..._

I didn't know where I was. Some realm between life and death perhaps? Or was I dead already, not ready to move on and just floating around, looking for something?

And that was the question. Was I dead or not? If I was dead, there was no reason to keep fighting. I should just accept my fate and move on. I'd miss being alive, sure.

But, damn, I'd miss everyone something awful.

Then a new thought: what if I wasn't dead? What if I was in a hospital somewhere, in a coma? That scared me. If I was in a coma, someone could unplug my life support and kill me without a second thought. I was absolutely helpless. I didn't like that. At all.

Not to mention, if I was in a coma and I woke up, there was no telling how long I'd been under. Days? Weeks? Months? What if I had been asleep for years and everyone had moved on with their lives?

Not that I'd want them to put everything on hold just because I was gone. Well, not _gone_ gone, but more or less asleep and not waking up. Neji and Tenten had better gone through with their wedding. It was supposed to be in a few days.

Well... a few days from when I was last conscious anyways. And if I was in a coma, chances were that I had been under for at least a day or two. If they postponed their wedding, I was going to kill them.

Naruto was probably freaking out. Hinata should be able to calm him down, right? I mean, it _is_ Naruto, but Hinata's pretty much got him figured out. She can actually get him to sit still for more than five minutes, so they should be okay. If she can't get him to calm down, then surely Sasuke-

Sasuke! What had happened to Sasuke? Was he alright? He had been hurt pretty badly when I saw him. But, Kanni and Yumi should have been able to fix him up. They were good doctors. He'd be okay.

Right?

Of course he'd be okay. He was Uchiha Sasuke! The guy was practically a God. If you talked to the female population of Sound, he actually was one. But I knew my husband. He was fine.

If he wasn't, I was going to kick his ass.

* * *

I felt pain, but only for a second. I retreated into my nothingness, safe, where pain couldn't reach me. I liked it there. Nothing could hurt me. I was never hungry, or thirsty, or tired. I didn't have to think, I didn't have to care.

It was nice.

And it worried me.

Because if it was this nice, if I was this comfortable, did that mean I was dead? That I had gone to heaven or wherever you're supposed to go if you're good? The thought made me sad.

I thought about Sasuke a lot. Once, a very long time ago, I thought I was in love. He was a civilian in Konoha. He was a nice enough man and he loved me, but I always thought that something was missing from our relationship, although I could never put my finger on what.

We dated seriously for six months, toying with the idea of getting married, but there was still this nagging feeling that he wasn't the right guy for me. Ninja are always taught to trust their gut, so, being the ninja that I was, I dumped him. I did it as nicely as possible and he was sad but agreed and we went our separate ways. Or so I thought.

To make a long and complicated story short: He stalked me. I hurt him. He went away. End of story.

But now, I understood. Or, at least, I hoped I did. I think that he wasn't right for me because there was someone else so much better out there, waiting for me. Ino, being the hopeless romantic she was, told me that Mr. Right would show himself when the time was right.

The time was a year later and Mr. Right was Sasuke.

I had never felt like this before. My feelings for Sasuke were entirely new to me. I had been kissed before, but they had never sent my heart racing. My arguments with Sasuke, while serious, always seemed fun to me. And I had this feeling, somewhere way down in my heart, that what we were doing was supposed to happen. Like it had all been planned just so we could be together.

If I was dead, though, it would kind of hinder that plan.

Did I want to be dead? No. But if I was, it wasn't like I could do much about it.

Could I?

If I tried hard enough, was stubborn enough, and defied enough logic like I had so many, many times before, could I wake up? After all, I had never been one to give up so easily. And I never was good at following rules.

_Stay with me..._

It hurt at first. The pain was great and it was tempting to just go back into nothingness. To retreat back into my haven, where pain was nonexistent and nothing would hurt me every again.

Then I called myself a wuss and pushed forward.

Time is kind of irrelevant when you think that you're dead, but I'm pretty sure it took me a long time before I thought I was making progress. It was horribly, terribly, getting my ass handed to me hard, but I was managing.

At least, I thought I was. Hard to tell when you're dead/in a coma.

But Sasuke- everyone- was worth it, so I kept fighting.

The pain was great now, and I almost gave up. I was this close to sinking back into oblivion, but I thought of everyone and their smiling faces and how much I wanted to hear their voices again and kept going, kept fighting. I didn't give up, couldn't give up. I was an Uchiha.

And Uchihas didn't give up.

_Stay with me..._

I opened my eyes.

Sasuke was there, stroking my face and telling me to stay, wake up and stay with him and he smiled (did I see tears in his eyes?) and kissed me like he was afraid of losing me.

"Stay with me," he said.

"You think you're going to get rid of me so easily?" I scoffed. "Not a chance."

And my husband smiled and gathered me close. Then he told the nurses where to shove it when they tried to make him leave. He said he was the one who ran this place, _god damn it_, and they couldn't make them leave even if he didn't sign their checks each month.

They couldn't really think of an argument after that.


	13. Drugged Up Love

Needed a new hardrive for my laptop and had no other internet connection. Oh, on the explain-the-Itachi-thing-right-now-or-I'll-hurt-you thing. CHILL. I said it would take a while, so be patient and don't harass me because some people are really starting to piss me off. Don't whine. Next chapter explains most of it, okay? Don't get your panties in a wad and just wait for the next chapter. Now that I've scolded you, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Sasuke was driving me crazy. Of course, being married to a man that rules a country and is friends with some really strange people (case and point: Naruto. Don't even get me started on Neji), you're bound to have endless moments of insanity.

But try all that on for size after being in a coma for nearly a month (missing a wedding in which you're supposed to be a bridesmaid), having been put it said coma by your (recently deceased) brother-in-law and his decision to kidnap you to piss off his little brother so his brother could kill him. (Remorse for killing his family? Maybe. I wasn't a psychologist and didn't want to offer more than I was told.)

If this sounds like fun to you, you need help on a professional level. And maybe one of those jackets that button in the back and a nice, padded room. Seriously.

But back to Sasuke and his inane desire to be super over protective of me while I was trapped in the hospital and even a little after I was let out. Personally, I couldn't blame him for being so paranoid. I mean, I had been kidnapped and nearly beaten to death. It was only natural that Sasuke felt the need to protect me.

Sometimes, I wished the logical part of my brain would shut up. Because no matter how logical, or rational, or natural it may seem, having your husband hover over you like some kind of misguided child with their first pet will get annoying after a while.

At first, I didn't mind him always being around. It was nice to see him beside me whenever I woke up/ was in pain. He rarely left my side. And when he did leave, someone else was always there with me. Made me wonder if there was a schedule drawn up somewhere that included all of my friends. (Minus Neji and Tenten of course, who were away on their honeymoon. They were probably enjoying it a lot more since Sasuke sent a message informing them that I was awake and functioning somewhat.)

Naruto would tell me really lame jokes that were a lot funnier when I was messed up on my meds. I didn't mind that. Naruto always seems to make people feel better when they're down, or sick as the case may be. Plus, he brought me food so I didn't have to eat the flavorless pudding crap that I was given.

Hinata filled me in on wedding details and used her rank as a Hyuuga to shoo people that I didn't want to see whenever they tried to come in and bug me. That was mainly the Council, the members of which were getting nervous now that they realized I was alive and could give them the boot any day now. Mostly they were just trying to suck up to me and keep their jobs.

And Sasuke...

Well.

Sasuke was Sasuke. Need I say more? He acted all tough and emotionless whenever a nurse came in to check on me, or Naruto or Hinata poked their heads in to see how I was doing, or when random people showed up to give me flowers and wish me well, but really, he wasn't like that at all.

If I was in pain, which was often, he held my hand and told me pointless stories to distract me so Kanni or Yumi could give me more drugs without me protesting. If I was hungry, he either sent Naruto to get me something or came back with it himself. If I needed something, whether I admitted it or not, he got it for me somehow.

All of this was sweet and everything, but he just wouldn't let me be. Plus, I was more than a little helpless, so I was bitchy a lot. Not to mention my painkillers made everything kind of fuzzy and I suspected Naruto recorded more than one of our conversations for his own personal amusement.

"There you go." Kanni patted my hand. "All done. You'll feel better soon." She smiled, tossing the needle into the biohazard bang hanging on the wall.

I glared at her and her stupid grin but she just laughed. I guess I wasn't very intimidating lying on a hospital bed in my pajamas with painkillers running through my system.

"Glare at me all you want, love, but the medications are necessary if you want the pain to go away."

"Couldn't they make something that doesn't make you so damn messed up?" I grumped. "How hard is that?"

"Aw, come on now. It's fun talking to messed up people."

"Not if you're the messed up one."

Kanni just grinned (way to cheerful- did she jack some of my meds?), nodded at Sasuke, slumped in a chair beside me, and when along her merry way, whistling to herself.

"You're in a good mood," Sasuke deadpanned.

I scowled and blew my hair out of my face. "Try staying in the same bed for weeks, without a proper shower, high on medications and see how nice you feel like being." My hair slithered back in front of my face and I just left it.

Sasuke snagged the hair himself, gently tucking the lock behind my ear, stroking my face down to my chin, turning my head just so. I just looked at him, determined to stay bitter, at least for a little while.

"Could be worse," he said.

"Don't let the nurses hear you say that," I said. "They might think I'm not miserable enough."

He just smirked, releasing my chin. "Well you are at their mercy. It's not often something like that happens."

"Something like what?"

"You're their boss." He shrugged. "It's only natural that they want to see you squirm a little."

Made sense. Whenever Tsunade had a hangover, I myself was merciless; slamming doors, stomping when I walked, talking a little louder than was necessary. Cruel, I know, but so much fun. And now the nurses were doing the same thing to me, only they were feeding me drugs instead of stomping. Ah, life. You truly hate me, don't you?

"Still," I said, shoving more greasy locks of my (stupid, annoying) hair out of the way, "they should let me take a proper shower. Or at least wash my hair." I took a lock and shook it. "Look at this! It's disgusting."

Sasuke studied me, taking in my thin cotton pajamas, greasy, uncombed hair, and slightly unfocused eyes and did the last thing I expected him to do. He kissed me, softly, on the lips, trailing my jaw and the shell of my ear.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

I sat there, totally shell shocked, when Naruto came through the door in a whirlwind of noise and bright orange colors. Knocking must not have been part of us upbringing.

"Oi, Teme! You have to go kick some council ass, remember? You're already late as it is and they're threatening to leave." He winked at me. "Already drugged huh?"

"Shut up Naruto," I growled. "Or I will make your life utter hell when get out I here."

Sasuke smirked. "Really?"

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

I did my best to glare at him, but the meds really kicked in and there were two of him. I settled for glaring at the one on the left and then I went to sleep.  


* * *

When I woke up, Sasuke was there. What a surprise.

What did surprise me is what he did when I woke up. I've seen my husband do a lot of things. He's been tough on criminals, joked with his friends, punched Naruto, gone days without sleeping until a problem was fixed, and comforted me numerous times.

But I never in a million years would have guessed that he would offer to wash my hair.

I'll give that a minute to sink in.

"You know, you really don't have to do this," I said to the ceiling, my neck craned back and resting on a folded towel, my hair soaking in a tub of warm water. "I was just venting earlier."

"You're my wife," Sasuke said, adding suds to the water and swishing them around.

"Yeah..." I said slowly. Why were we pointing out the obvious?

"And you're uncomfortable. It's my job to make you as happy as possible in this unpleasant situation."

I rolled my eyes back, trying to get a glimpse of him. "Have you been jacking my painkillers too?" He smirked. "Seriously, you don't have to do this. I was a bitch this morning and just felt like-"

Then he started massaging the shampoo into my scalp and I forgot what exactly I had felt like that morning. The rest of my sentence was drowned out by an appreciative purr and a feeling of total refreshment, the likes of which I hadn't felt since I had woken up.

"I knew I married you for a reason. Now I know what it is."

Sasuke rinsed my hair, finger combing it to check for any still soapy spots. The guy knew what he was doing. "So I could wash your hair?"

"Among other things."

He snorted and began working the conditioner through my insanely long locks. Again, I considered just chopping it all off. But just for a second. At that moment, Sasuke behind me, rinsing out conditioner, I told myself I was never cutting my hair ever again.

"You do realize," I told him as he helped me sit up, "that you are now required by law to do this at least every other day."

"Says who?" he asked, rubbing a towel on my head to dry my hair before giving up and reaching for the hair dryer.

"Your wife. And don't forget, it is your job to make me as happy as possible in this unpleasant situation, however long it may last." I smirked. "That came back to bite you in the ass, didn't it?"

The towel ended up a tangled mess on my head. When I finally managed to escape, Sasuke was two inches from me. Yes, I jumped. About a freaking mile. I had drugs in my system, and he startled me! Oh, shut up.

At this point, I still wasn't entirely used to kissing Sasuke. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, a lot, but just the idea of my laying my lips on any part of him mere months after I swore to hate him was just bizarre to me. I also wasn't used to all the fireworks that went off whenever he touched me, either.

However, that didn't mean that I was unresponsive when he kissed me. I prided myself in being a good kisser, maybe even excellent. So all the mind-blowing, stars exploding, heart pounding stuff that happened to me was happening to him. Or I hoped so. He wasn't exactly shrugging me off anyways, so he at least enjoyed it. I sure as hell was.  


* * *

My hospital stay, coma included, lasted about a month. Let me tell you, I had never been so grateful to be a medic nin. If it had been anyone else, they would have been bedridden for months and endured several weeks of intense physical therapy and many prescription drugs.

But me? I was up and about in about two days, quickly falling back into my old regime of pissing off the council, getting lost, playing my cello, and making out with my husband whenever possible. Considering I had been comatose for nearly a month, we spent as much time together as we possibly could. And by together I mean we had our lips locked.

I was in love with him. There was no point in hiding it, denying it, or running from it. I threw my hands toward the heavens and surrendered with as much dignity as I could manage. Not much but, hey, it was all I had. Six very odd months into my marriage and I had fallen for my husband.

He wasn't a bad guy really. A little rough around the edges, sure, but not a total asshole or anything. At least, to me. He did get a little testy around other people if they were stupid or slow in any way, but I did the same, so it's not like I had room to talk. We both liked talking to people who could actually engage in intelligent conversation occasionally. Was that a crime?

Even if it was, he was Kage. Rules didn't apply to him.

Oh, something else I discovered. There were a lot of good looking guys in Sound. I had seen many more on my travels. Tons of hot guys in Konoha as well. Ask Ino. She's dated all of them. And then some.

But Sasuke had them all beat. Hands down.

Of course, being his wife and all, I may have been a little biased. That thought was quickly dismissed when I watched a sparring match between him and another guy and he wasn't wearing a shirt. The majority of Sound's women, married, single, old, pre-adolescent, you name it, swooned. I decided that if one guy can get a seventy year old grandma and her granddaughter all hot and bothered, I wasn't biased in the slightest.

Sasuke denied that fact later, saying he wasn't gorgeous, he just worked out. Besides, he said, they were mostly shallow women who didn't know him at all and liked to argue over him like he was their property. He didn't want any part of them anyway.

None of them really loved him. Not like I did.

Not that I told him that, of course. That would have just been stupid.

And that was also a problem. Sasuke and I were very carefully crabwalking into a relationship with each other. We did have to spend the rest of our lives with other, so whatever we did, we had to be careful about it. One little misstep and everything could blow up in our faces and we'd go back to hating each other.

Actually, he'd go back to hating me. Knowing my luck, I'd still be in love with him and he wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore.

So telling my husband of not even a year that I was in love with him wasn't even on the list of possibilities. It was on another page, getting lower and lower on the list before the thought itself seemed so ridiculous that I kicked it off altogether. For now at least.

To distract myself from my own personal soap opera, I watched the video that Ino had given me. As usual, I was right. It made me cry.

It was a mesh of all the home videos I had. Most of them had been destroyed in the fire, but Ino and Shikamaru had salvaged what they could and compiled my memories, my past life, onto this one simple tape.

It began with a shot of me zipping up my ANBU vest, the camera bouncing around as mom shifted it from one hand to the other and trying to get everything in focus. Natsu and my father, both decked in their ANBU gear as well, were on either side of me.

Then it cut to years before that, me and Ino chasing each other around the house, Natsu trying to dodge us as he walked into the kitchen. Mom, looking embarrased tried to shoo Dad, holding the camera, away so she could finish dinner.

Me and Ino again, this time older, teenagers in tight tank tops and heels, doing our hair. The camera was pointed at the mirror and you could clearly see Natsu reaching out to mess with our perfectly sculpted hair.

Natsu as a baby, running around the house in a diaper. Mom pregnant and fanning herself with a magazine, saying it was too hot. Dad watching me train and trying not to wince when I cracked the earth. Kiba tackling me and tickling me. Sai staring straight at the camera, asking what the purpose of this was. Kakashi stretched out on the grass, asleep and snoring.

Me tying my leaf headband proudly. Tsunade at her coronation. Suki doing my hair, me squirming in the chair. Dad lifting Akina onto his shoulders. Kenji fussing in his crib. Natsu and Suki announcing their engagement, followed by whoops of joy and several squeals. Natsu pulling me from out of the shot and us dancing around the living room while everybody clapped.

It was everything summed up into one little black rectangle. It was my family, my friends, my life in Konoha all compressed into little snippets of video. Like the pictures Ino had sent all those months ago, it was important and sad all at once. And when Sasuke asked me if I was okay, I wiped my eyes and asked him if he wanted to watch it with me.

We settled against each other and watched my life unfold on the screen.


	14. Make My Heart Go Boom

"He did it just to piss me off you know."

I paused in the healing, my chakra flickering green on my hand and against Sasuke's back, which was turned to me. The nurses had done their best, and it was good, but Sasuke had gotten injured to rescue me and I'd be damned if I let him stay in pain. The second we were in our room I sat him down and went to work.

Itachi may have beaten me, but he had done a number on Sasuke. What kind of medic-nin, what kind wife would I be if I let him go about his Kage duties with his bones still grinding together? Or let him spar when every move agitated his stiff muscles?

He hadn't told me what had happened exactly. Some part of me knew that the entire story would never really be told, but if he wanted to tell me, I would listen.

"What?"

"Itachi. He took you to piss me off. To make me so angry that I wouldn't even think straight." He kept his back to me, but I could see his hands, clenching and unclenching. The bed creaked as I shifted, but he turned his head and I couldn't see his face.

"He wanted you to kill him?"

"Over the years, Itachi did as many things as he could to make me mad- to make me hate him. If I thought it was horrible, he did it." He took a breath. "And now I know why. A small part of me always held back whenever we fought. He knew that, so he did the one thing that would make me kill anyone without hesitation. He hurt you."

I didn't say anything. I waited for Sasuke to gather his thoughts, ready to listen and try to be understanding and help him get through this. It wasn't much to me, but maybe, to him, it would be enough.

Up until Sasuke was eight, Itachi had been a normal older brother. You know the drill; annoying, loving, never really wants to hurt the younger sibling but loves to torment them. Then he just up and kills his family. I had no idea why he did it. All I knew was that he hurt Sasuke in the worst way possible. And it was enough to make me hate him.

It didn't matter that he had kidnapped me. He beat the shit out of me, sure, but it's happened before. Hell, that wasn't even my worst beating. So while the things he did to me were bad, what he did to Sasuke was downright evil. He caused his little brother- my husband- unspeakable pain. And that was why I hated him.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I jumped when Sasuke spoke again. "It wasn't revenge, he didn't go crazy, and he didn't do it for the hell of it. My brother murdered our family because he had orders to do so."

"Orders? Someone ordered Itachi to kill the Uchihas? And he did it?" I couldn't believe it. Itachi did a bad thing and that made him the bad guy. But he did it because someone told him to?

"Not just someone," he said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I felt like it was one of those moments when someone says something and you're supposed to know exactly what they mean when they're really not explaining anything at all. You know those moments? It was one of those alright, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. Maybe.

"The Council."

They had been around since his parents founded Sound. All twelve of them had been hand-picked by the Uchihas as people they could trust. Worked out well, huh? Note to self: never form a council that will murder you later.

"That's horrible," I said.

"What's even worse is they had reason to do it."

I blinked, not sure if I had heard right. "Come again?"

His whole body tensed, fists clenching the sheets so tight his fingernails were tearing tiny holes in the fabric. He took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out slowly, like a hiss. Gently, I touched his back, rubbing my hand up and down his spine.

"All of the Uchihas began to think that they were better than everybody, that they were superior," he spat out viciously. "They liked controlling people because it made them feel powerful. Soon, the needs of the people that lived in the village didn't matter. As long as they were happy, nothing else mattered. They thought they were gods."

His shoulders hunched as he involuntarily tried to shield himself from the one thing that could penetrate any barrier- the truth.

"The Council held a secret meeting. They decided that the Uchihas were no longer what was best for everybody. They decided that they needed to be taken care of. And they knew just the person to do it."

"Itachi," I whispered. "But why would he even consider doing something like that?"

Another deep breath, almost like a gasp, and then I realized that Sasuke, the strongest man I had ever met, was crying. It scared me more than when I was little and saw Natsu crying for the first time. To me, Sasuke crying was an oxymoron. It canceled itself out because it wasn't ever supposed to happen. Ever.

Yet it was. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, back to me, with tears streaming down his face. And I couldn't do anything but rub his back and keep listening. I had never felt so helpless.

"Because of me," he gasped out. "He killed our family, every single person, because he wanted me to live. He pleaded for my life, saying I was too young to understand what my family had done. He agreed to kill everyone if the Council would spare me and let me Kage Sound one day."

Wait, the Council was good? Well, maybe not good, just one step down from evil. Maybe malevolent. Yeah, malevolent.

But it was something I couldn't ignore. The Council had the people's best interests at heart. They did something absolutely horrible, sure, but they did it to save thousands of lives. It didn't make what they did right, but it made me want to kill them a little less. Then Sasuke took another shuddering breath and I went right back to hating them. Nobody that could cause him that much pain would ever be decent.

"I hated him," he said. "I hated Itachi. I hated every good memory we ever had. I wanted him dead and I wanted to be the one to kill him. And he knew that. Itachi knew that and thought it was for the best. He took you because he knew how much you meant to me and he wanted me to kill him.

"And it worked. He finally pissed me off enough for me to kill him. But now... things are different now, and I don't know where I stand."

I had to admit, I was confused. Itachi was the bad guy, but he was the bad guy because the Council ordered him to be the bad guy which made them the bad guys, but they were looking out for all the people in Sound which made the Uchihas the bad guys. Even writing it down was confusing.

Sasuke had lived through that. He had lived the first eight years of his life happily, not knowing that his family would become mad with power and his big brother, who he loved more than anyone, would have to kill them. But it happened, and he told me he based the rest of his life on revenge. Now that he had achieved it, he finds out that it wasn't for the right reasons at all.

He was going through hell, and I didn't have a clue what to do or say.

"I still hate him," he said softly. "Even after I find out the truth, I can't let go of this hate."

I didn't know what to say to that. To any of it. My own family had been murdered but my story was completely different from Sasuke's. I couldn't say that I understood because I didn't. I couldn't say that it would be okay because I didn't know that it would be. I couldn't say anything when Sasuke needed me the most. Talk about a let down.

"I think that's okay though," I said. "Hating Itachi doesn't make you a bad person, or even a bad brother. But for all those years, you hated him for the wrong reason and now you're thinking there isn't a reason at all." I leaned against his shoulder. "But there is. What Itachi did was wrong no matter how you look at it. He took your family from you when you were very young. He may not have done it for the reason you thought, but he did it nevertheless. You can hate him for that."

Sasuke looked like something had punched him in the gut. It was silent. I don't think he was even breathing. Then he relaxed, all of his tense muscles suddenly releasing and he lapsed against me. He closed his eyes and looked relieved, like a heavy weight had just been lifted off him.

He put his head in my lap, looking up at the ceiling like he had never noticed it before. I stroked his forehead, soothing the last of the tense muscles and letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"At least you know one thing for sure," I said.

"I do?"

I nodded. "Oh, yeah."

"And what would that one thing be?"

I grinned. "The Council is in deep shit when I get to them in the morning."

And suddenly Sasuke was laughing. Not chuckling, not smirking, but a full out laugh that alarmed me a little. I had never heard him laugh before and, fearing a mental breakdown, I couldn't do anything but stare at him until he stopped. Now the tears he wiped from his eyes were those of mirth. While that alone was cause for joy, the fact that Sasuke was actually laughing caused a mental shutdown on my part.

"I think I might keep you," he said, reaching up to trace my scar.

"I'm so relieved," I said dryly. He chuckled. I caught his hand. "Hey," I said softly. "Are you really okay?"

His hand shifted in mine, turning to grasp my fingers. "Yes," he said after a pause. "I think I am."

He sat up, rolling over until he was on his side of the bed. I settled on my stomach next to him. It took him a minute, but he met my eyes when he smiled and I felt that he really was okay and not just saying that because he didn't want me to worry or something like that.

"So," I said, my tone teasing, "why exactly did Itachi take me?"

"Because," he whispered, his tone serious, "of what you mean to me."

Just like that, my brain shut off. I forgot my name, where I lived, what I had done that morning, every single detail of Hinata's wedding, all of it. The only thing that existed was this moment; Sasuke on his back, looking at me in a way that I couldn't understand, his voice as those words echoed endlessly in my head.

Because of what you are to me.

These mind games really had to stop. I mean really. Ever since our relationship had changed, hell, ever since we had gotten married, I never knew where I stood with Sasuke. He probably knew exactly what was going on inside my head whereas I had no idea. And it was all entirely his fault. Every bit of it.

He ran his finger along my cheek, snapping me back to reality.

"I can feel your heartbeat," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair briefly before tucking it behind my ear and tracing my cheekbone with his thumb.

"What am I to you?" I whispered, slightly amazed that I not only still had a voice, I remembered how to use it.

Abruptly, his thumb stopped moving. I held his gaze, determined to get my answer, to know exactly why we spent all our time kissing, why, in the few months since we had been married, I had become... what? What had I become to him?

I think I might have been scared of his answer, but I don't remember. All I remember is Sasuke raising up slightly and kissing me. We'd kissed before. We'd kissed a lot in the past few weeks. I knew the feeling of his lips on mine even in my sleep. But this kiss was different. This kiss was soft and hard, desperate and patient all at the same time. It was loving. And it set my world on fire. For the first time in my life, I felt alive.

"The world," he whispered.

I thought my heart would stop.

A bomb could go off right now and I wouldn't care, I thought. And then, through my pounding heart and the celestial choir ringing in my ears, I heard it. A very loud boom, followed by the entire Manor shuddering and dust raining down on everything.

"What the hell was that?"

Sasuke sat up. "A bomb," he said simply.

I was on my feet immediately. "Come on," I said. "There could be injuries."

XXX

The first thing we came across was glass- a lot of it. Having ran down the hall barefoot, it made for a painful part of our journey, but it was only a little pain and didn't slow us down.

The second thing we came across was Naruto. But it wasn't really Naruto. Something was off about him in a bad way. Red chakra leaked out of him, filling the hall with an ominous feeling. People formed a semi-circle around him but none seemed willing to get closer than a few feet. He growled and bared his fangs (fangs?!) at anyone who came near.

Sasuke swore.

"What happened to him?"

His eyes began to bleed red and I recognized the Sharingan. "You know the stories about the demon hosts?" I nodded. "Meet the Kyuubi."

My sensible reaction? "Holy fucking shit." Smooth, no?

I had to work to push this new information to the back of my mind. Questions were on the tip of my tongue, too large to swallow without choking. Then I spied Hinata buried from the waist down in the rubble. I remembered reading once that the demons would sometimes emerge in desperate times, when its host became distressed or angry.

I'd say having your fiancée nearly crushed to death qualified.

Sasuke started forward. "Wait," I said, grabbing his arm. "Let me."

"He could kill you."

"The Kyuubi took over because Hinata got hurt," I said. "He's protecting his mate and I highly doubt he'll let another male get past. I'm your best bet."

Without waiting for his answer, I started forward, pushing past everyone that had gathered until I was just in front of Naruto. Slowly, I brought my hands out in front of me to show I wasn't a threat. Carefully, I began to move towards Hinata.

Naruto growled and swiped at me. I jumped to the side and he ended up with a handful of denim. Sasuke started forward but I held my hand up to stop him. Naruto didn't know what he was doing. He just knew that his mate was hurt and he had to protect her. He had no way of knowing I was going to help her. To him, I was a threat same as Sasuke. Only I was female, which bought me a few feet.

"It's okay," I said softly. "I'm here to help her." I took a step closer, moving slowly so Naruto wouldn't feel threatened. "It's okay." Naruto growled, but stayed where he was. I felt Sasuke's eyes on me as I knelt beside Hinata.

The first thing I checked was her pulse. Relief flooded through me when I felt a strong, steady beat under my fingers. Naruto growled again, this time at Tenten carefully picking her way across the debris towards us.

"It's just me," she said. "You know me. It's okay."

Neji and Sasuke were front and center, eyes on Naruto, fists clenched. Naruto bared his fangs at them, his red eyes staring back. Was it just me, or did his chakra look like a tail?

"I'm going to clear what I can," I said to Tenten. "Pull her out first chance you get."

I stood slowly, careful not to draw Naruto's attention. Hinata was pinned by a few rafters that had fallen from the ceiling and a heavy door that looked way too familiar. I tried the door first, hoping I could lift it quickly and keep it off the ground long enough for Tenten to pull Hinata free. I bent my knees, shouldered what I could, and heaved.

The damn thing was heavy. I had to pump chakra to my arms just to lift it an inch. I grunted, shoving with my shoulder and gained another inch. Naruto was watching me now, and I could see Sasuke and Neji shifting their weight to the balls of their feet, ready to jump in.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and the load on my shoulder got a lot heavier. Another rafter had fallen directly onto the door. If I hadn't been holding it up, it surely would have killed Hinata. As it was, it dislocated my shoulder.

"Get ready Ten," I called. "You've got one shot."

I spread my chakra evenly to my legs, arms, and back. Using my shoulder for leverage, I hoisted everything up six inches, holding it for a grand total of three seconds. Thankfully, three seconds was all Tenten need to pull Hinata away. As soon as they were out of the way, I simply stepped out from under it all and let gravity have its way.

Hinata let out a cry of pain and Naruto exploded. He leapt for Tenten, fangs and claws poised to rip out her throat. Neji and Sasuke leapt after him but I was faster and stepped in front of him, feeding more chakra to my fist as I moved.

Faster than you could blink, Naruto had jumped five feet and I slammed my fist into his stomach. Two of his ribs shattered but I told myself not to think about it and shifted my weight so he flew back across the room and through two walls. The floor warped around him like in old cartoons and he lay in a Naruto-shaped hole, completely unconscious.

"Well damn," Tenten said from behind me.

I spied Yumi making her way through the crowd. "Get her to the medical wing," I said. "She's got some broken bones and a little internal bleeding but she'll be fine." Yumi nodded and, after a worried glance at the still unmoving Naruto, knelt beside Hinata.

My shoulder went back into its socket with a loud pop and a second of pain. I ignored the pain in favor of Sasuke standing beside me, glaring but looking awed at the same time.

"That was stupid," he said.

"Maybe, but it needed to be done." I turned to the crowd that had gathered. "There's bound to be more people trapped. Get as many out as you can and get them to the medical wing." They scattered and I turned back to Sasuke, kissing him briefly. "Be careful."

"Where are you going?"

"The medical wing. I've got a job to do."


	15. Aftermath

Fifty-seven broken ribs, twenty-two fractured arms, sixty-nine cases of unconsciousness, five deaths, nine internal bleedings, one emergency amputation, thirty broken legs, countless amounts of shrapnel, and twenty hours later, I was tired.

The bomb had gone off in the music room, totally annihilating all of the instruments inside (including my cello), and making for some interesting pieces of shrapnel lodged in various arms, legs, and faces. And a few other places not to pleasant to mention. The bomb was also powerful enough to rock the Manor on its foundation, blowing out five rooms and killing just as many people.

And to top it off, most of the doctors and nurses that were heading home took the shortcut. Guess what room they had to walk past? If you said music room, you would be correct. So you can add about twelve medics who were down for the count. Mainly, it was Yumi, a CNA, one pediatric assistant who was injured but worked anyway, a doctor named Kane, two nurses, and me. With over two hundred people injured, saying we were understaffed was a massive understatement.

Oh, and did I mention the fact that Yumi, Kane, and I were the only ones legally qualified to treat the injuries of the said two hundred plus people? No? Well, now you know.

We were exhausted to say the least. And really, if you wanted to be honest, exhausted didn't even begin to cover it. Try so-damn-tired-we-were-pretty-much-dead-on-our-feet-and-barely-able-to-function. You'd be close. In fact, I was so tired I put a cast on a woman's right arm when she had actually broken her left. Thankfully she was doped up on painkillers and didn't notice with I switched the cast.

Sasuke staggered in at one point, bleeding from a head wound. Yumi got to him before I did, but I nodded so he knew I saw him. Or maybe I just wanted to nod at him for some reason, I can't really remember. Yes, I was that tired.

My patient was a little boy with a bruised jaw and two broken fingers. His sister had gotten trapped under some debris and when attempted to free her, one of the boards clocked him in the jaw. On reflex he dropped everything, snapping his middle and pointer fingers in the process. His sister was fine, just knocked out, and we sent her home to make room for more patients.

Sasuke was gone before I could blink and there was another person in front of me. Huh, must have zoned out for a second. At least, I hoped it had only been a second. It would suck if I had been out while treating two or three patients and screwed up their treatment somehow. Well, if they came back I'd just send them to someone more awake than I was.

Which, actually, might be impossible. It was normal for me to only catch a few hours of sleep at night, so my body was more than used to staying up for long periods. It wasn't even unusual for me to stay up all night. Yumi, however, was a morning person. As it was, she was fighting keep her eyes open. Kane was faring no better, although he tried to lighten Yumi's load as much as he could. Once I glanced at him and thought he was asleep on his feet. After a minute he jerked and shook himself. Poor guy.

I had four hours of sleep from two nights ago under my belt, but I could run on that for a few more hours yet if I had to. Judging by the amount of people still in the waiting room, I'd have to. Everybody else, on the other hand, needed some form of rest and they needed it soon.

Or, I thought, a legal addictive stimulant.

Neji chose just then to have a gash on his arm stitched up. I didn't have a patient, so I nabbed him before anyone else could. I'm pretty sure I was the only one awake enough to handle needles at that point anyways.

"I need you to get something for me," I said in a rush as I finished the last stitch and began wrapping his arm.

Maybe he felt sorry for me in my sleep-deprived state, or maybe he thought he owed me or something, I'm not quite sure but, albeit warily, he arched a brow and asked, "What?"

"Espresso. Triple shot."

Not, I soon discovered, the best idea in the world, but it did buy us a few more hours before we all passed out.

"Okay, on to the next patient, wow, there's not many left now, that's great, we've been working for a long time now, I'm tired, are you tired? Kane's really good looking isn't he, oh never mind you're married, you couldn't tell me because Kage-sama might get jealous or something like that, hey look it's Anko, hi Anko!"

Yumi had never had a triple shot before.

To her credit, Anko, other than looking faintly alarmed, didn't say anything. Odd for her, but I figured she was just tired like the rest of us (with one blue haired hyped up exception) and didn't comment on it.

"Um," she said after Yumi bounced off, "shouldn't you go to sleep soon? You've been up longer than any of us on the rescue squads. And we've been up for a while."

"What makes you say that? Maybe I went and caught a few hours of sleep on a couch somewhere, or passed out for a little bit and just went back to work." I double checked her bandages and ran her i.v. Yumi may have been more awake after the espresso, but I wasn't letting her anywhere near a needle or anything vaguely sharp. I mean, I wasn't stupid.

Anko snorted. "Yeah, right. No offense Uchiha-sama, but even you don't look good with dark circles and bags under your eyes." Her own eyes lit up. "I bet I have some foundation in my bag, oh, shoot, it's still in the waiting room, it would only take five minutes if you would just-"

"I don't have five minutes," I cut in, yawning mid-sentence. Anko abruptly stopped talking and looked down at her hand. She flexed her fingers then looked up at me.

"Should my hand feel kind of weak?" she asked.

"It's normal," I assured her. "You were dehydrated so I had to give you an i.v. Normally, you'd get it in your arm, but you don't have very good veins so I had to use one in your hand. Also normal," I was hasty to add. "When the bag is empty, push that button there. Someone will come and unhook you. Eventually. Keep your bandage as dry as possible and you can go home."

I yawned again, loudly. Anko looked at me rather smugly, but I yawned again and couldn't say any kind of witty remark as per usual. And really, I was too tired to think of any anyways.

I wandered into the waiting room. My tired eyes were relieved to see that no was in it but Kane, asleep on the couch. Yumi had crashed beside him and there heads were touching. It was cute, seeing them sleeping like that.

Sleep, I thought. Sounds nice.

A CNA, freshly rested from going home to sleep, popped up with a steaming mug of coffee in her hands. I didn't jump, but I think it had more to do with me not having enough energy to actually move than not being startled. I recognized her as the same woman that had gone in search of me all those months ago.

"Go on home," she said too cheerily. "We can handle things here."

Sasuke was there suddenly, taking me by the elbow and gently pulling me out the door. My brain sluggishly alerted me of this two minutes after the fact. Man I was tired.

"What are you doing?" I mumbled. I sounded like a deranged drunk.

"You need sleep, remember?"

"Sleep? What is this sleep of which you speak?"

I stumbled, but managed to right myself before I slammed into the wall. I'm almost positive that it might have hurt me, but I was too tired to think about it. Sasuke didn't even snicker, just slipped his arm around my waist to steady and walked me safely into our room.

The first, the only, thing I saw was the bed. One corner of the sheet had come untucked, leaving the mattress exposed and the covers were wadded into a ball in the center of the bed. At that moment, it was the most beautiful thing in all of creation. I tugged my sweater over my head, letting it lay where it fell and quickly kicked off my pants and shoes.

Which left me in a skimpy tank top and my underwear with Sasuke right behind me, but I was so tired and just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. In other words, I could have been stark naked in front of the Council and cared less.

My head didn't even hit the pillow before my eyes closed and I was out. I didn't even feel it when Sasuke shifted me so that I was actually on the bed and not hanging halfway off. Or when he shook out a blanket and covered me with it.

So I can honestly say, in my defense, that when he laid down beside me, I didn't know what I was doing when I rolled over and put my head on his chest. Of course, the fact that I did it on reflex should say something, but I wasn't awake enough to figure it out.

I slept really well that night. Like a log or like I was dead or something. Just so you know, staying up for nearly forty-eight hours straight while being in constant motion will make one tired. Believe me, I know. I was happily off in dreamland and determined not to wake up.

Then our door flew open and Naruto was shoved inside and our lights came on and Sasuke and I both got woken up. Neji stood in the hallway, glaring at the wall like it had done something to offend him.

Apparently it was perfectly acceptable for Naruto to interrupt our slumber, but for him to do it would just be rude.

Blearily, I sat up. "Naruto? What are you doing?"

Sasuke growled in an aggravated sort of way, sitting up and rubbing his hands all over his face. With a blush, I realized that I had been sleeping on my husband's naked chest. Then I decided that I was still tired and that I really didn't care. At least, not yet. I was pretty sure Naruto would remind of it a little later down the line.

"What do you want Dope?"

Naruto very pointedly didn't look at me. I glanced down at my thin tank top. It rode up at some point and left my midriff exposed. I pulled the covers up around me, already beginning to fall back asleep. My body gave in to the urge to lay down. I could feel my eyes closing, but I was powerless to stop them.

"We found something. It's important."

Through the fog of sleep that had settled around my brain, I noticed that Naruto sounded way too serious. Did his ribs still hurt? I thought I had healed them all the way. And demon hosts healed really fast anyways, so he was practically better by the time he got to the medical wing. Maybe he was still worried about Hinata. Although she was fine, resting at home in her own bed. She didn't have a mark on her.

I wanted to hear want he and Neji had found. It had to be bad if Naruto was being serious. But I was almost out, way past the point of no return and rapidly approaching a full-out snooze. I worried for a second about snoring in front of Naruto and Neji, not to mention Sasuke, but I could always kick their asses later if they brought it up again.

I was awake enough to remember Sasuke getting out of bed and walking over to them. They whispered for a little bit, and then Sasuke yanked his shirt over his head, walked over to me, kissed my cheek and told me to sleep, that he'd be back soon, but after that, nothing.

* * *

What Naruto found, well, I guess I should say Neji if I was going to be honest, was indeed important. And more than a little bit worrisome. The bomb that blew the music room to bits wasn't the only bomb we had. The dining hall, the indoor garden, and the basement I had no idea existed all had bombs in them, set to go off within a day of each other.

One bomb is bad. It's a bomb and it could kill people and destroy things in a matter of seconds. However, since we are a country full of ninja, we can usually write if off as a training exercise gone wrong or something like that.

Two bombs was pushing it, but it didn't necessarily mean that there were terrorists lurking about or anything. Yeah, there'd be an investigation, but more than likely, we'd find out nothing and if the bombs didn't go off, we'd probably forget about it after a few months.

But three or four? There was something gong on here. We couldn't survive another mishap like the first bomb. From what I had heard, Yumi and Kane were still asleep. So, to put it simply, we were in trouble. More so than usual. And more specifically, me.

At first glance, it looked as if the bombs had been placed at random, some psycho hoping to cause some chaos and confusion. But then Neji started looking closer. And not just at the bombs, oh no. Neji started tracking every single person that had been in or near those rooms a lot in the past few months. The way he figured it, the bombs were meant as an assassination attempt.

He followed the Council members first. A wise choice, considering. Thanks to yours truly, the people of Sound now knew all about the evils of the Council's ways. And now that they knew, pretty much all of them wanted the Council dead. Several wanted to kill them themselves. (Including me. And Naruto. Pretty sure Sasuke wouldn't think twice if he got the chance.)

But after just an hour, Neji had determined that the Council wasn't the target. So he turned his attention elsewhere, looking this time in Sasuke's direction. Made sense right? After all, he was the Kage, and a good one at that. But no matter what, there is always going to be just one nut job who doesn't agree with anything and decides to oh, say, plant some bombs to kill the Kage.

And since the bomb in the basement was conveniently placed directly under our room, it just made sense that Sasuke would be the bomb target. But Sasuke never went into the music room unless he was looking for me, and he rarely ate in the dining hall at the same time everyone else did. One bomb was set to go off at breakfast the next day, but by then Sasuke would have already eaten and left. And he hadn't been in the garden since it had first been planted. Safe to say that Sasuke was in the clear.

Then Neji figured it all out. At the very beginning of breakfast, I was usually there, lingering when my friends came in. The music room, I stayed in for hours at a time. Every spare second I had, I was in there playing music. Or I was in the garden, thinking. (Or, as Neji put it, brooding.) And if I got any sleep at night, I slept in my room. So, Neji informed us, I was the target.

Cue the overprotective husband. Act one, scene three. Action!

"I don't need a bodyguard," I growled, shoving my arms into the sleeves of my kimono, yanking everything into place. Sasuke was on the other side of the bathroom door, annoying me.

"Someone is trying to kill you," he said like I didn't already know.

"Someone's always trying to kill me. Shouldn't you know that by now?"

Now fully dressed, I threw the door open for dramatic effect and sucked in a breath to start arguing with the stubborn creature I called a husband. I was even prepared to yell at him again if I had to. I was used to it by now, that was for sure. With both of his hands on either side of the door frame, he effectively blocked my exit. He lowered his head so that we were face to face.

"Humor me."

And then it hit me. He was worried.

He also wasn't going to back down on this. His mind was already made up and there was no way in hell he was going to change it. He was going to have his way, no matter how much I argued. It may have been annoying, but, really, he was only trying to protect me like a husband should.

I wanted to scream at him, tell him that I could take care of myself, that I wasn't some weakling that needed to be coddled and cared for. I wasn't a baby and he shouldn't be treating me like one. But he wasn't thinking like that.

I was his wife and he just wanted to keep me safe. He was worried about me, only asking that I keep myself as safe as possible until we could work everything out. (Aka, beat the hell out of whoever planted those bombs.) So, with great regret, I swallowed my pride and agreed.

"Okay."

I thought he was going to melt he looked so relieved. He put two fingers under my chin, tilting my head so I'd look at him.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." I waved him off, trying my best to act blasé about the whole thing. "You owe me for this. Big time."

So I made my husband feel better by sacrificing my right to be alone ever again. Now I had either Naruto or Neji following me around whenever Sasuke couldn't be there. Pardon me, I need to go find a container for my joy and a pillow to scream into. Then I need to go kill my husband for making me do this in the first place.

Actually, having Naruto follow me around everywhere wasn't so bad. I mean, talked until my ears wanted to bleed, and jump of my head and run screaming in the other direction, but he was pretty good about clamming up when it came to the important stuff, or something he knew he couldn't keep up with. Council meetings? Not a word, no matter how pissed off he got. He complained about it afterwards of course, but that was to be expected.

Neji, however was a different story entirely. He didn't say much, which was always a relief after a day with Naruto, but no one else talked to me either. While Naruto was more like a friend who was tagging along as I went about my ass-kicking duties, Neji was a shadow. A large and scary shadow with 'touch her under penalty of death by the Kage or myself' written across his forehead.

So while Sasuke felt more at ease with two of his most trusted friends sticking to me like glue, I was going absolutely batty. At night, if I didn't talk, he knew that Naruto had worn me out that day. If I chatted his ear off and he had to kiss me just to get me to shut up, it was a given that I had been stuck with Neji.

And we still had no idea where the bombs had come from, or why anyone was after me in the first place.

"I'll need a list of your enemies," Sasuke said to me the night after Naruto was my shadow for the first time.

I looked at the tiny scroll in his hands and the pencil he had posed over it, ready to write. I just looked at him and raised my eyebrows.

"Before or after I moved here?" I asked.

"Both."

At first I thought he was kidding. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but a good ninja is going to get a lot of enemies. Hell, any ninja is going to get enemies. I had a high rank, I was a jounin after all, so I had a lot of people who like to sit around and plot my untimely demise. Then I realized that it was Sasuke, and Sasuke was nothing if not serious.

"You're going to need a bigger piece of paper. And maybe a few more pencils while we're at it."

It was his turn to raise his eyebrows. Clearly, he didn't believe that I had acquired as many enemies as I claimed. I just sighed, told myself that, surely, someday, he'd learn and started talking. Twenty minutes later, I was still talking and the scroll was nearly full.

"... guy named Danzo from Konoha's council, the stalker from Sand, no, wait, Gaara got to him, mark him off, the Council here, Wave-"

He cut me off, still writing. "The entire Country?"

"Well, yeah." He just looked at me. "Tsunade's apprentice, remember? They hated her with a passion and thereby hated me. Oh, you can add the Akatsuki to the list as well."

He fumbled and dropped the pencil, nearly tearing the scroll in his attempt to get it back. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, but no sound came out except for an occasional strangled noise. He was really and truly shocked. I wished I had a video camera because I knew that there was no way I would ever see that expression on his face ever again. Ever.

"Akatsuki?" he choked out.

"Yeah, all of them." I thought about it for a second. "I can't name them all, but I killed Sasori, so they're all really pissed at me. Especially his partner, what's-his-face."

"Deidara," Sasuke said weakly. He was still staring at me with eyes a little wider than what was considered normal.

Oh yeah, I thought. Deidara. I remember now. Blonde hair in a side ponytail, creepy smile, mouths on his hands and his chest, bunch of clay-

"Bombs!" I yelled. "Deidara works with bombs!"

Then another look on my husband's face that I was sure I wouldn't see again. This one was called 'We are so fucking screwed'. He covered the it quickly, but I knew. Having the entire Akatsuki after me, if indeed it was the Akatsuki, wasn't going to be easy. But, hang on, how did they find me? I mean, it took most people in Konoha six months to realize that I wasn't coming back and now all of them sent me letters. I got more mail than anyone in Sound. Was that it? They got some of my mail?

Did Akatsuki even have an address?

"Wave," Sasuke said. "You can bet that they had something to do with this."

"Oh God," I moaned. Wave had been itching to start a war for years now, hoping to get some allies and make themselves seem stronger. They'd had it out for Konoha from the beginning, but now they were all 'screw you!' to Sound as well. Probably because of me and my friend Dachi, still having to get around in a wheelchair. He most likely convinced all of Wave that we were evil and they decided to start some shit with us.

I had married Sasuke to stop one war and instead I start another.

"Don't you think for a second that this is your fault," Sasuke growled.

"People died," I whispered. "They died because Deidara planted his bombs to try and kill me." My breath caught in my throat. Oh God, I was going to start crying. Someone was after me, me, and five innocent lives were lost and hundreds of people were injured.

"It is my fault," I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. "No matter what you say, this is my fault."

I really and truly believed that. Five people were dead because someone, possibly the Akatsuki had decided to kill me. I felt like I had planted the bombs myself. It was my fault. That thought alone kept echoing through my head.

The scroll fell to the floor with a clatter, the pencil bouncing on the carpet and snapping in two. Sasuke cleared the six foot space between us in a single bound, wrapping me in his arms as soon as he could touch me.

"We'll find them," he promised. "I swear on the graves of my family, we will get whoever did this."

I dug my fingers into his shirt, buying my face into his chest to try and stop the tears. I didn't say anything, but I believed him. I believed he'd hunt down Deidara, maybe even personally, and beat the living hell out of him.

But I could stop the thought that ran across my mind with alarming clarity, no matter how much I wanted to.

It's my fault.

It's my fault.


	16. Dealing With The Dead

Naruto's wedding was a joyous occasion, full of laughter and fun. The ceremony was beautiful, Hinata looked stunning in a western wedding gown instead of a traditional kimono ("It's not like the Council is here to tell me I can't," she said), and Naruto was racked with nerves. He wasn't getting cold feet or anything, but he was terrified that Hinata was. Sasuke eventually lost patience and told him to get into place or he'd make Hinata marry someone who could sit still for more than five minutes.

The actual ceremony only took about twenty minutes, even with a few minor mishaps that took place. A flower arrangement toppling over, a rip in Tenten's dress, Anko suddenly remembering that she forgot to check over my makeup, Sasuke's bow tie constantly coming undone, Hiashi and Neji both looking for Naruto. The last one actually caused us to worry a little bit, but Naruto made it down the aisle in one piece, so he either dodged them successfully or they decided not to kill him after all. My money was on him staying hidden until the last second.

After all the traditional stuff, we had a very nontraditional reception, which included Naruto dancing to 'I'm too sexy' with, of all people, me. He claimed it was because he didn't have any parents to dance with, and dancing with Sasuke would have just been weird, so I danced with him, laughing my ass off the entire time.

Oh, and just so you know, just because ninja can do all kinds of really cool, nearly impossible moves does not necessarily mean that we can dance. Well, I can dance. Naruto, however, is a different story entirely. His first dance with Hinata was really more of them swaying across the dance floor with slow music playing and their heads touching as they whispered 'I love you' to each other and kissed and stuff.

It didn't tug on my heartstrings or anything.

Neji surprised us by pulling Tenten in to dance, shocking us even more when they moved flawlessly and with the utmost grace. Well, the non-Hyuugas and people who only vaguely knew Neji were surprised. I was under the impression that all Hyuugas had to be perfect at everything they did, so I wasn't too shocked.

Then Sasuke and I danced, and I forgot about Neji entirely. As it turns out, he was a pretty good dancer himself. He didn't step on my feet and he wasn't looking around for an excuse to get away, so I was more than happy to dance with him. Actually, I was just happy that I got a movie moment where I danced with my husband and put my head on his chest and he had his arms around my waist. You know, the stereotypical mushy moment.

"Is there anything you're not good at?" I asked as he spun me back into his arms.

He considered it for a second, spinning me again. "I can't bellydance," he said as he caught me.

I laughed. "I can."

"Of course you can," he said, dipping me low and bringing me back up so fast my hair flew everywhere. "You can do anything."

"Well I _am_ Superwoman."

He chuckled, twirling me, this time catching me so that he was behind me. We swayed back and forth, both watching Naruto happily trample on Hinata's feet, then offering to let Hiashi dance with his daughter. They looked like they were having a serious conversation, which concerned me a bit, but then Hinata smiled and hugged him and I knew that Naruto, however briefly, had been spared.

"Where did you learn to bellydance anyways?" Sasuke said into my ear.

"Ino and I got bored one summer."

"So you decided to learn a useless skill."

"It was not useless," I protested, looping my arms around his neck. "We both got awesome abs that year."

Sasuke's eyes were solid coal, but they had never frightened me. People with dark eyes usually frighten others because people, for whatever reason, assume that darkness is associated with evil. But Sasuke's eyes, whether they be filled with laughter or anger or sadness, always brought a since of comfort to me, and I didn't know why. Well, my being in love with him might have something to do with that, but, again, I tried not to dwell on it for fear that I might blurt it out randomly one day and ruin everything.

I was so captivated by these thoughts that I didn't even notice when he leaned in to kiss me until his lips actually touched mine. When they did, everything vanished. The music was silent and it was just me and him, alone in this moment. The shock that jolted down my body was almost electric. Even my hair felt alive.

And it wasn't even supposed be that kind of kiss! It was a gentle kiss, and while it knocked my socks off (or, hmm, should I say pantyhose? I wasn't wearing any socks.), most people would have considered it a sweet little peck on the lips.

I felt very sorry for those people.

When we finally broke apart, everything came back. Everyone was dancing to a different song with a fast beat. A few people were staring at us, some even enviously. Naruto, for his part, just rolled his eyes and yelled something about getting a room. Sasuke made a rather rude hand gesture and we started dancing again.

No matter who you are, dancing to anything with even a remotely fast beat in three inch heals will make your feet hurt after a while. I didn't want to stop dancing, mainly because Sasuke was still dancing with me, so I kicked off my shoes and stowed them away under a random table, returning seconds later to my husband's arms. We all danced and danced, laughing and carrying on, some of us having a few too many drinks and others not enough.

I don't think I left the dance floor that night. Each time Sasuke and I stopped dancing, I was claimed by someone else, dancing a few with them, only to return to Sasuke once more. Tenten and I danced to a particularly awesome version of 'Beat it' and nearly fell on our faces because we were laughing so hard. Neither one of us had drunk anything, but the happiness in the air made us feel like we were riding on some kind of high.

I found myself in Sasuke's arms again, still laughing.

"You're having fun," he commented.

"I am," I agreed, a little surprised. "You are too. Don't deny it."

"Well, it's not as horrible as I thought it would be," he said, kissing me quickly.

I rolled my eyes. "One of these days, Sasuke, someone is going to realize that you're not the total asshole you pretend to be." He arched a brow. "Someone other than me."

"Really."

He dipped me so quickly I yelped, clinging to him tightly out of self-preservation and glaring up at him when I realized he wasn't going to drop me. He smirked and pulled me upright again, kissing me just under my ear. My heart slammed against my ribcage even though I told it not to. Like he had all the time in the world, Sasuke kissed his way down my jaw, even tracing my scar with his lips, before finally touching his lips to mine. I thought I was going to melt in his arms.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Naruto called from beside us, Hinata planted firmly in his arms. "Wait until you get back to your room. Not all of want to see that."

Sasuke only held me tighter. "Jealous Dope?" he asked arrogantly.

"Hell no. I've got the prettiest girl in the world as my wife. What's there to be jealous of?" He grinned and kissed Hinata in a way that you really shouldn't kiss people in public. I gave them a few seconds before I said something.

"Save it for the honeymoon," I said, reaching over to slug his shoulder. "Or at least wait till _you_ get to _your_ room."

"You didn't!" he protested.

"And?" Sasuke asked, spinning us off to a separate corner of the floor and kissing me again. If he didn't stop I was going to end up a puddle in the floor. I don't think I would have minded much, but more or less blurting out your feelings in front of about a hundred people didn't sound like a very good idea to me.

Then I told myself to stop thinking so much and enjoy the affection the man I was in love with was giving me. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed him back for all I was worth. The part of my brain that was functioning dimly registered the fact that his arms got a lot tighter around my waist and pulled me so close I could feel his heartbeat. The music got loud- I could feel the floor vibrating beneath my feet, but I couldn't hear it over the pounding of my heart.

Sasuke had never kissed me like this. Nobody had ever kissed me like this. Or maybe they had, but it didn't have the same effect on me as Sasuke's kisses did. The fact that I was in love with him, really in love with him, made every other kiss I'd ever gotten seem like nothing. Everything seemed like nothing. In this moment, there was only us.

* * *

It was about two in the morning before Sasuke and I made it back to our room. Even at that late (or early, depending on how you looked at it) time, we were one of the first to actually get out of the reception room. We had made our excuses and headed for the door, trying to avoid people, but it still took us about an hour to actually get out.

My adrenaline was still humming through my veins from all the excitement and dancing. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before, and I had just spent about six hours on my feet dancing, but I didn't feel tired at all. I was wired from everything and knew that sleep was a long ways off for me.

Sasuke didn't even look tired. He looked the same as always, which kind of figured, but his dress shirt had come untucked and was slightly wrinkled. If anything, it at least proved that he was human enough to the point that his clothes weren't perfect 24/7. He still looked perfect, though, so it didn't help me stop thinking about him, which I really needed to do.

Saying 'I love you' to Sasuke was still way, _way_ out of the realm of possibilities, and if I didn't have a minute where I wasn't thinking about him in some way, it was more and more likely that I would end up just blurting it out. I tend to do that, blurt out things and then later look back and go 'huh, maybe I shouldn't have said that'. But no matter how many times I've said or done the wrong thing, I still tend to leap before I look. One of these days, I was going to fall flat on my face.

"When is Ino's wedding again?" Sasuke asked as he pushed open the door to our room.

"January. She really wants to get married in the snow." I ran my fingers through my hair, wincing when they caught on some tangles. "Shikamaru doesn't care. He just wants to get it over with."

Sasuke started unbuttoning his shirt. "Seems like all of your friends got to pick their husbands," he commented absently.

"I'm glad," I told him, taking out my earrings. "They deserve to be happy."

He abruptly froze, turning to look at me.

"Are you not happy?" he asked, face carefully blank.

What? I thought about what I had said. The way I said it had made it sound like I wasn't happy, but I hadn't meant it like that. Any person wants their friends to be happy- it's a natural feeling. I wanted my friends to be happy in their marriages because I knew what it was like to be unhappy and forced into one.

Of course, my situation had changed in the nearly seven months that I had been here, but I wasn't saying that.

"I'm happy," I said, sounding surprised.

Sasuke stood there, shirt unbuttoned, feet bare, staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Had I said the wrong thing? Did I sound insincere? It was quiet so long I was starting to think that I should apologize for something, but then he spoke again.

"If you could do it all again, knowing everything that you know now, would you still marry me?"

To say the question threw me would be correct. Of all the things I had ever expected Sasuke to say, that had not been one of them. I wondered about it if he ever did ask me about things like this, but wondering and dreaming about it were different than expecting it. So while I fantasized all the time about all the romantic things that Sasuke and I could say to each other, when it came right down to it, I was always surprised when it actually happened.

Would you still marry me?

If I took everything into account, the war, the Council, all of it, would I still marry Sasuke? Even if I thought about the things that had happened to me, Dachi, Amaya, getting kidnapped and nearly killed, basically hating him for the first two months of our marriage, would I still willingly chose to marry my husband?

I said it loud and clear, my choice obvious.

"Yes. Yes, I would."

Sasuke was suddenly kissing me with such force that he actually lifted me off my feet. Again, everything else seemed to vanish the second his lips touched mine. I closed my eyes and kissed him back with just as much force, trying to get him to feel exactly what I was feeling just then. This wonderful, blinding sensation that only he ever made me feel.

My heart pounded in my chest like an angry horse kicking at its stall doors, beating so hard I could actually feel the blood pumping all the way through my body.

And suddenly, a new feeling, one that we had both been trying to repress and failing miserably. Lust had been a part of our relationship since we first locked lips, and we had always been careful not to go to far, but now it was back with a vengeance and my willpower was vanishing rapidly. It wasn't helping that Sasuke's hands began to travel up my back to fist themselves in my hair.

I found myself slammed backwards into the wall, but I didn't feel it. My own hands were yanking Sasuke's shirt off him, fumbling with the one button still in place. Finally, the silk material fell to the floor with a whisper of noise. His muscles rippled under my touch, God he was built. He looked like a Greek God only better.

He fumbled with the bow that wrapped around the middle of my dress, tearing it off completely and tossing it aside before going in search of my zipper. He kissed me, hard, and tugged me free of the cotton, letting it pool at my feet. I stepped out of it, meeting him halfway to kiss him again desperately.

He kissed my lips once, yanking me forward so we stumbled backwards to the bed. We rolled until he was on top of me, kissing every part of me that was exposed, my throat, my stomach, my thigh, and even the inside of my wrist, which thrilled me in a new way. His fingers danced up my sides, tracing my arms and linking with mine. He kissed my neck, biting down slightly.

I deliberately arched my hips and he growled, kissing me so hard I thought my lips would bruise. He pressed me down into the mattress, pinning my arms above my head, smirking arrogantly above me. One hand released me to trace over my bra, his fingers gently working their way under it.

We were both ready for this. I think we might have gone all the way if it hadn't been for two things.

The first being that there was a flash of light outside, followed quickly by a rumble that vibrated the walls. It startled us and we both froze. My heart actually stopped for a second because, when the lightning had struck and light had filled the room, I thought someone had walked in. There was no way to explain what we were doing because it was very embarrassingly obvious. Neither one of us was wearing much and Sasuke was straddling me on the bed. Not a lot to explain there.

'Oh don't mind us, we were just wrestling and got hot so we took off most of our clothes.' No one in their right mind would believe that. They might not say anything about it because of who it was that they caught, but they'd still know, and that would be enough.

So the lightning strike kind of killed the mood, but that wasn't the only thing.

A few seconds after it was dark again, both Sasuke and I blinking to readjust our eyes to the sudden darkness, a noise reached our ears.

Someone was knocking at the door.

Actually, someone was pounding on our door, beating on it like they were the police or something here to bust us for our illicit activities. Sasuke and I scrambled upright, throwing on night clothes in record time even for ninja. He crossed the room faster than I could blink, glanced at me to make sure I was decent, and threw the door open, probably ready to kill whoever it was on the other side.

Naturally, Naruto was standing there, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, sounding not mad, but slightly concerned and professional. Like Tsunade whenever there was an emergency. I stood behind him, already worried. Was there another bomb? Had something else horrible happened? Oh, please, no. Not tonight, not when everything was supposed to be happy and we could temporarily forget our troubles.

Naruto peered around him to look at me, motioning for me to come closer. Whatever it was, he had to tell both of us. My first thought was that he was drunk, but he only had two drinks the entire time and there was no way he could have gotten wasted in the time that we had left. At least, I didn't think he could, but Naruto tended to be an exception to most rules, so I still considered it a possibility.

"You need to go to the front gate," he told me, eyes still as wide as dinner plates. "Someone's... you need to get there now."

"What happened? Was someone injured?" I was already yanking on my shoes, tossing Sasuke his because I knew that he'd be right behind me. If someone was hurt, I might need help moving them.

Naruto shook his head. "No. You just need to get there now."

Confused, and more than a little worried about my friend's sanity, I followed Naruto out, increasing my speed as he more or less ran down the halls. I tied my robe as we ran, still wondering what had freaked Naruto out so much he came looking for us instead of going straight away to his honeymoon with his new wife like everyone expected him to.

I got my answer in the form of a skinny man with dark brown hair, a strong jaw, and deep green eyes, one of which that had a scar under it. I skidded to a halt so suddenly Sasuke ran into me, grabbing my arms to steady himself. I didn't look at him. I couldn't look away at the man that stood before me, nor could I speak.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, sounding worried.

"No," I whispered. "No, it can't.... this has to be a trick."

"What?" Sasuke looked away from me, turning his attention to the man before us. He recognized him after a few seconds, his own shock as palpable as mine. No wonder Naruto had been so freaked out.

"It can't be," Sasuke managed.

It was no trick of the light. It wasn't a genjutsu or a clone. The person standing before me was flesh and blood, as real as me or Sasuke or Naruto. He was also supposed to be dead, buried six feet under the ground in a different country. I had watched this man die. I know I did. I watched him and five other people die right in front of me. I had watched him being murdered.

Logically, I knew that there was no way that he could be alive. At the same time, I knew what I was seeing was true. He was real, and he was really there, really breathing and getting pelted by rain and really looking at me. Logically, though, I knew he shouldn't be.

So I threw logic away, clinging instead to hope and dreams and Sasuke, standing behind me and holding me steady as I stared at a dead man.

Natsu smiled at me weakly.

"Hey Sis."


	17. Big Brother, Huge Bother

Two months ago, when my dead brother showed up on my doorstep, I didn't do anything. I just stood in total shock, uncaring of the freezing November rain, and staredat the man that had once meant everything to me. My brother, my teacher, my best friend who had died in front of me. He was alive and he was real.

Then I did do something. I did the single most embarrassing thing that I had done since I had set foot in Sound :I fainted. Fainted dead away in Sasuke's arms,andthe sound of him yelping in shock and calling my name was the last thing I heard. He caught me before I could land in the mud, so some of my dignity was saved. Not much, but enough so that maybe, one day, I could salvage the rest of it.

Natsu was still there when I woke up, safe and dry in my bed, so I decided that, no, I had not hallucinated and Natsu really was alive. It was a huge shock to say the least. I had spent nearly a year slowly rebuilding my life and limping back towards happiness and he turns up, alive and somewhat healthy. (He scared the hell out of Naruto who knew him to be dead as well, and he waited a day before taking off with Hinata on their honeymoon. They wanted to stay with me, for whatever reason but I convinced them to go.

I say that Natsu was somewhat healthy because, while he was smiling at me and looking happy, it was obvious that he had gone through his own little slice of hell. Fresh wounds decorated his skin, some scabbed over and halfway healed, while others were still red and raw and angry. A few bled sluggishly. His hair was longer and his eyes were haunted, looking the way I suspected mine had in the weeks following the murders.

You didn't have to be as smart as I was to realize that he had been tortured.

Knowing that he had been put through something as painful as torture broke my heart, but the fact that my brother was alive, actually alive, caused such an overwhelming sense of happiness that I could push my sadness away and focus on that single fact.

My brother was alive.

Having him turn up was not something I had been expecting. In fact, a lot of the things that happened in the following weeks weren't on my list of possibilities. Remember that list? I do. And it's a list that kept getting longer and longer until nothing surprised me anymore.

Well, I say nothing. Something did surprise me, but it also broke my heart so badly that not even Sasuke could fix it. It didn't happen to me, but it happened to someone I cared about, and it came with a very heavy cost. Out of all the shit that had gone wrong, it was the one thing I couldn't deal with.

But we won't get into that quite yet. Instead, we'll talk about annoying brothers. Natsu, after hearing about Akatsuki being after me, ("Again with the enemies, Sis?") became another one of my bodyguards. Sasuke liked the idea of my overprotective big brother following me around all the time. I hated it.

I mean, he's my brother, and I love him, but he had a tendency to be just plain old mean.

"This," Natsu sighed, "is the most delicious cake ever created. I mean it."

I glared at him over my paperwork. "And you're eating it in my office because...?"

"Because your husband would rip me a new one if he found out I let you be by yourself for five minutes."

True. But still, did he have to eat the cake in front of me? I couldn't eat it at that moment, asI didn't want to risk getting icing on my paperwork and having to redo all of it, so I had to con the cook into saving me a piece for later. Much, much later. Because I had a _lot_ of paperwork to do.

"Plus," Natsu continued, licking the icing off his fork, "I think he'd bite my head off if I ask another question about something."

"He's having one of those days, huh?"

"I think he always having 'one of those days', Sis. The man's a grump." He swallowed another bite, savoring it just to taunt me. "How the hell did you end up with a guy like him anyways?"

I rolled my eyes, reaching for the ever-present coffee mug on my desk. I could hold off on the cake, but one thing I would always need was my coffee. I couldn't function without it. Plus, I drank it all the time, so I wasn't too worried about spilling it all over my nice, neat paperwork.

"Do you really want to have this discussion again? Now, while I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork, trying to remember that it's all very important and I can't set it on fire?"

"You can't burn it?"

"Not unless I want to get in trouble, no."

He picked some crumbs off his plate. "So your marriage was arranged, huh?"

I had explained this- this being my marriage, my coming into power by yelling at Sasuke, and making my way here- to him twice, but he still couldn't wrap his head around it. I guess maybe my being married, getting on with my life without him, was bizarre. To him anyways.

"I don't believe it."

Or maybe not.

"What don't you believe?"

"That the Council, made up of people who hate you, got together and said that you had to marry Sasuke." He shook his head. "There's just no way."

"How is that hard to believe?" I tossed a thick stack of papers into my outbox, reaching for the stack in my inbox that was nearly double in size.

"You love him too much for this all to be arranged."

My hand fell short of the inbox, landing instead on the edge of the wire basket with such force that it toppled end-over-end until it landed upside down on the floor. Natsu and I both stared at it like we weren't quite sure what to do with it. I decided to leave it and let someone else do the paperwork for a change and stared at my brother.

"Excuse me?"

He smirked at me, looking entirely too much like the man we were discussing. "You," he said smugly, "are in love with your husband. Don't even try to deny it- I know you too well." He leaned over my desk, reaching over to poke me in the shoulder. "And I know that you, my dear, sweet, baby sister-"

"Baby? I'm twenty-two!"

"- are in love with Sasuke."

I hated that he knew me so well. He hadn't even been back in my life for a month yet and he already figured out what I was still struggling to accept. He grinned arrogantly, the scar under his left eye standing out sharply in the light. A new scar graced his left cheek, running down his face and fading into his skin until you couldn't see it anymore.

He had been held captive by Wave (who paid to have our family assassinated. Natsu was left alive in hopes that he would surrender information about Konoha and whatever else he knew. I was left alive because they wanted me to suffer.), and instead of trying to figure out what was going on in the world, he'd rather eat cake in my office and discuss my love life.

My brother had a thing or two to learn about priorities, once he got over being weird.

A fact confirmed when, disturbed by the silence, he abrubtly broke into song. He sang at the top of his lungs with the utmost satisfaction:

"Sakura loves Sasuke! Sakura loves Sasuke!"

I groaned and buried my face in my hands to hide the blush of embarrassment that burned its way onto my face. I knew, I just knew, that the door was going to open any moment and someone was going to walk right into my office and hear him singing. God knows what people already thought about me and Sasuke. Having my brother belt out a particularly juvenile version of the truth wasn't going to help matters.

It was as I was thinking this that the door banged open and someone strode right in without knocking. I'll give you three guesses as to who that person was, but you probably only need one.

"Sasuke's looking for you," Naruto told me.

"Ooo, Sasuke's looking for you," Natsu gasped. "Should I not wait up? Hide in the corners with my eyes shut and my hands over my ears?"

I grabbed the wire basket from the floor and hurled it, satisfied when it connected with the side of his face and he yelped in pain. Naruto laughed. However, great minds, or dumb minds, whatever you want to call them, really do think alike, because not even thirty seconds later, they both broke into song simultaneously.

"Sakura and Sasuke, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

Slamming the door might have been unnecessary, but it effectively cut off their voices and made me feel a little better.

But I forgot about my brother (read: my bother) being my bodyguard, so he followed me out a few seconds later, still humming that annoying tune under his breath and looking very happy. My glares did nothing but make him hum louder. I guess he knew I was still too relieved that he was alive to actually cause him a lot of harm, so getting glared at by me wasn't very threatening at this point.

"If you start singing again, I will castrate you with my bare hands," I warned. "And don't think I won't."

He took a big step sideways, putting a little distance between us. Smart boy, that one. Well, he's smart on occasion, but he's a man, and most men are labeled stupid until they prove they are otherwise. Natsu has yet to prove to me that he is otherwise, and he's my brother, so I tend to not give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I just wanted to finish our talk," he said.

"Oh for God's sake, Nii-chan. Give it a rest."

"What? I'm not going to rant about your husband being an ass or a dick or anything." I gave him a level look. He made an X over his heart. "Promise."

I kept walking. "He's stressed," I said. "The war is this close to starting between us and Wave. They just won't back down. Especially now that we know you're alive. Ditto for knowing that they were the reason... well, you know," I said softly.

"He's worried about you," he said just as softly.

It wasn't a question. Under all the teasing and mockery about my love life, Natsu was worried as well. And not just about the Akatsuki either (Deidara, in fact, did plant the bombs). No, he was worried about me because I was married and had to share a bed with my husband every night. (I laughed very hard when he shared his concerns, but assured him that Sasuke wasn't forcing himself on me.)

"He's always worried about me."

"That's what happens when you're in love with someone. You worry about them all the time."

I stopped walking. I turned to face Natsu. He stopped walking as well, eyebrow raised as though to ask why we had stopped in the middle of the hallway. I managed to look him in the eye for a grand total of about three seconds before I lost it and started laughing. And laughing. And then laughing some more. I had to hold my sides so I wouldn't tear anything.

About two minutes later, I finally calmed down. My laughs were reduced to giggles and I could look Natsu in the eye again. We resumed walking.

"Was it something I said?" he asked.

"The part were you said Sasuke was in love with me."

"He is," he insisted.

"I assure you he's not."

And then Natsu started laughing. But unlike me, he didn't have to stop and bend over at the waist and then try and catch his breath. His laugh was more like a bark of disbelieving laughter huffed between his lips. He shook his head, pinching his nose like he was holding something in.

"You are so blind," he informed me.

"Oh I am, am I?"

He nodded. "Yes, you are. Sasuke is in love you." He looked at me sharply. "Wait, why don't you know this? You usually pick up on these things right away."

"Uh," I deadpanned, "maybe because this is Sasuke we're talking about?"

He seemed to accept that.

"I admit, I had my doubts. The first thing I thought when I saw him was 'who the hell is the guy holding my little sister?'. Then I found out he was your husband and I was ready to kill him." He sighed lightly. "But then I did some homework."

"By homework, do you mean you talked to Naruto?"

"Yup."

"Thought so."

Natsu stood in front of me, stopping us in the hallway again. He didn't talk until I met his eyes. Which I did with as much defiance as I could muster, but it's hard to be all I-don't-care about some things when you secretly hope that they're actually true.

"The first thing I asked Naruto was if Sasuke would ever hurt you. When he was done laughing at me, he assured me that he never would. Then he gave me a crash course in understanding Sasuke. Not the easiest thing in the world, I promise. I had to just take his word on a lot of things. But, Sis, he loves you. Seriously. You can see it when he looks at you."

My heart began to beat very, very fast.

"You can?" I asked calmly, silently praying that my voice wasn't shaking.

Natsu smiled. "He gets this look about him. Everything about him relaxes and his eyes are soft and, if you look closely, he smiles. It's a small smile, but it's a smile, and Naruto told me that, before you came, Sasuke never smiled. Ever."

"He still doesn't," I said faintly. "Not really."

"Oh," Natsu assured me, "he does."

I blinked up at him, still trying to process this. Naruto understood Sasuke better than most, so I knew that if he said something, it was usually true. Natsu had done the big brother thing and asked about my husband, trying to find out what kind of person had married his sister. I didn't mind that part. In fact, I had expected it. If he hadn't asked around, I would have gotten worried.

But to say that Sasuke was in love with me was like telling me that Kakashi was gay. It was as impossible as it was funny. Sure, Naruto seemed to believe it, but Naruto had a tendency towards the delusional, so I couldn't believe everything he said. Natsu hadn't been in Sound very long, and he had known Sasuke for even less time. I could disregard whatever he said. He had no idea what he was talking about. None at all.

But...

_What am I to you?_

_The world._

I felt hope begin to well up inside me. What if he really did love me? I squashed the thought immediately, discarding it like my paperwork.

"You spend way too much time with Naruto," I commented, brushing past him. "Really Nii-chan, you should know by now that he's crazy."

Natsu sighed, muttering about how stubborn I was sometimes, and followed me. He didn't bring it up again.

* * *

We made it to Sasuke eventually. I actually knew where we were going this time, but thanks to Natsu and his strange train of thought, I got distracted. We had to double back twice before we even made it to Sasuke's "throne room", as Naruto had christened it. It didn't actually have a throne in it, but it was where most of the official decisions were made.

Natsu whistled low as we stepped inside. "Nice," he commented, shutting the heavy oak door behind him. "Is every room in this place like this?"

"Minus the few that are being reconstructed."

Sasuke glanced up, the table in front of him buried almost completely in paperwork. He looked faintly irritated at being interrupted, but more happy that we had walked in than anything. I peeked at some of the scrolls. The topics varied from a new paint job to what the weather was supposed to be like.

"Would you like some matches?" I offered.

"Don't need them," he smirked. "I could set this on fire without them."

Natsu looked a little alarmed. "Fire Jutsu? You know Fire Jutsu?"

"Yeah." Sasuke shoved the papers on the floor and grabbed me, pulling me down into his lap so suddenly I yelped and clung to him. He smirked into my neck. I cuffed him lightly upside the head, trying to be angry, but unable to be so because, well, I was in his lap. And he was smiling. So-

Oh my God, he was smiling.

Natsu better wipe that smug smirk off his face before I have to do it for him.

"S-so why did you want to see me?" I stammered.

Sasuke sighed heavily, his breath dancing across my skin and giving me goosebumps. Very gently, he laid his head on my shoulder, suddenly becoming tense. I ran my fingers through his hair, surprised at how easy it was for me to lay my head against his.

"The war is starting," he breathed. "Sand, Leaf, and us, we've all tried negotiating with Wave, but they won't listen."

I bit my lip, knowing what was coming next. "They wanted me to surrender you to them. You and Natsu."

"Wh-what?!" Natsu sputtered. He stood up so fast he knocked over his chair. "They wanted Sakura? You didn't say yes did you? I swear to God if you gave her up I'll beat the hell out of you, I don't care who you are."

I didn't move from Sasuke's lap. "Natsu, stop. You know he didn't-"

"What kind of monster do you take me for?" Sasuke said into my shoulder. "Do you really think I could do that? After what they did to you, do you really think I would just hand her over?" His voice was low and intense, I could barely hear it, but Natsu was listening like Sasuke had screamed every word. "I swore to protect her. Why would I give her to our enemy?"

Natsu sat back down. He sighed heavily, shaking his head and looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I know, man," he said. "I know. God," he looked at me. "I started a war. What the hell do I do now?"

"I really don't think you started a war all by yourself," I said, my face still half-hidden by Sasuke's hair. "I really didn't help things when I put Dachi in a wheelchair."

"He had it coming," Sasuke said, finally straightening, this time putting his cheek against mine. "And I was the one who kept him in a cell for two weeks with a concussion."

Natsu looked at me, then Sasuke, then back to me. "You guys beat up Dachi? Isn't he on the Wave council?" We looked appropriately guiltily. Meaning we exchanged looks and grinned at one another. "Oh God, what did he do?"

Sasuke's grip tightened on me. "Something completely unforgivable," he growled.

Natsu raised a brow. "What?"

"He, uh," I cleared my throat. "Well, he tried to... force himself on... on me."

"_What?_"

"Yeah..." The memory flashed before my eyes and acid burned in my stomach. "We beat the hell out of him though, and it acted like the catalyst to everything." And when I said everything, I meant everything. After Dachi, everything kind of went downhill for me. Every. Single. Thing.

Natsu blinked. "Huh. Suddenly, I don't mind you so much, Sasuke." He leaned back in his seat. "I might even let you kiss her now."

"Oh, what makes you think I need your permission, O Wise and Powerful Nii-chan?" I snarled. "You know, I happen to be an adult and I-"

But then I had to stop talking. Because it's kind of hard to talk when your husband is kissing you. It's even hard to yell at your brother, who's once again singing stupid nursery rhymes, but my heart was pounding and I could barely hear him anyways.

Natsu stopped singing after a few minutes.

"Watch the hands," he yelled. "My stomach can only take so much."

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious."

He blew on his nails, wiping them on his shirt. "I know. I'm awesome like that, Sis. Shouldn't you know that by now. I mean, come on, I am so much cooler than you."

"Oh really?"

I leapt off Sasuke's lap and tackled Natsu and his annoying smug smirk. We rolled twice, but finally I pinned him down, using my weight to keep him still. With both of his arms behind his back and his face planted on the floor, he didn't pose much of a threat to me, and I couldn't help but needle him a little bit.

"Who's cool now?" I asked.

He mumbled something into the floor. I jerked on his arms.

"What was that?"

"You are."

I smirked. "And don't you forget it." I got off him and dusted myself off, still smirking.

Natsu untangled himself and stumbled to his feet, rubbing his shoulder, wincing when it popped. He glared at me, his ego thoroughly and utterly wounded and I giggled. Hey, I was a little sister. It was my right, my duty, to embarrass and wound my brother. I'd been doing since I was little after all.

"Geez," Natsu said. "Couldn't you have used some of those moves on Kabuto?"

"I was tied to a chair," I reminded him. "And scared out of my mind."

"Did you say Kabuto?" Sasuke asked, suddenly very interested in our conversation.

Natsu looked over, surprised. "Yeah. You know him?"

Sasuke snorted, going back to the scroll in front of him, scanning it briefly. "Know him? I killed him."

Natsu stared, in total shock at Sasuke, who had just turned our world completely upside down. And he didn't even know it. He just kept reading the scroll, marking on it occasionally. Eventually, he felt our eyes on him and looked up. Nobody said anything. Perplexed, he put the scroll down.

"You... you killed Kabuto?" I whispered.

"Yes," Sasuke said slowly, still confused. "Why?"

Natsu found his voice. "When?"

Sasuke blinked, thinking back. He rolled the scroll, putting it back on the table. "A few days before I married Sakura." He looked at me. "Didn't you notice how banged up I was?"

"No," I said softly. "You killed Kabuto?"

Natsu shook his head. "You just became my favorite person in the world. In the universe." He grabbed my arm and pushed me forward. "Go ahead, kiss him. Plant a big one on him, right on the lips."

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, completely confused now.

"Kabuto killed our family," I said, my heart rate increasing. "And you killed him. Before you even knew me, you killed him."

Sasuke looked like he had been punched in the gut. "Kabuto did it? Kabuto's the one who-?"

Natsu nodded, laughing. "Dude, you're friggen awesome! I love you now."

"You don't understand. I let-"

I launched myself at him, kissing him forcefully. He wrapped his arms around me on reflex, anchoring us together so he would stay standing.

Sasuke had killed him. The one man that I hated more than anything in the world, the only person I would gladly kill without hesitation. The one person I would wish harm upon just so I could see him suffer was dead. Sasuke had killed him before he even knew me, knew what he had done to me. Kabuto was dead, and I had Sasuke to thank for that. My husband was truly remarkable human being and he didn't even know it.

"Sakura," Sasuke breathed. "You don't understand. I let Kabuto live."

"No," I said, "you didn't. You killed him. You-"

He cut me off. "Do you remember me telling you that I left the village for three years to train?"

"Vaguely."

"I went to Orochimaru. Kabuto was there, he was the medic. The night that I killed Orochimaru, he was right outside. I walked past him. I just walked away and left him staring at his master's dead body." He stepped away from me. "I let him live. And three years later he kills your family. I decided to let him go because I thought I had killed enough that night." He took a deep breath. "But if I had killed him then, your family would be alive today. They're dead and it's my fault."

"How is it your fault?"

He looked at me, startled.

"You didn't know what he was going to do, did you?"

"No, but-"

"No 'but's. You didn't know that Wave would hire him to murder my family. How could you know?" I closed the space between us and gently kissed him on the cheek. "He's dead now. He can't hurt anyone else. That's all that matters."

He didn't look convinced.

Suddenly Neji burst into the room, eyes wild and blood shot. They landed on me, desperate. He had blood on his shirt.

"Tenten's been poisoned."


	18. Faith No More

Tenten and Hinata both had been poisoned. We managed to identify and rid their bodies of the poison before they died. They had eaten the piece of cake that I had put by for later. The cake that I was supposed to eat. So once again, people were hurt because of me. But it was so much worse this time. The poison got into their bloodstream. Tenten had been ten weeks pregnant.

The poison got into her uterus.

She lost the baby.

It was worse than the bombing. Five people had died then, yes, but this was a baby. A person that never even got a chance to live. Tenten didn't even know that she was pregnant until I told her that she had miscarried.

Neji cried.

Hinata, thankfully, hadn't been carrying a mini-me, but I had to tell her that there was a possibility that she would never be able to. The poison had been flushed completely from her system, but there was always a chance that there would be lasting damage. We didn't know if the poison had harmed her reproductive system in any way, but chances were, since it had harmed Tenten's, it had harmed hers as well.

She cried.

Naruto held her, biting his lip to hold in his own tears.

And when I got back to my room, I curled into a ball in the bathroom floor and cried. And cried. I stayed that way for God knows how long, my tears flowing so strongly I half expected the bathroom to flood.

Every bit of this was my fault. Deidara planted bombs because he was pissed that I'd, quite literally, demolished his partner, and instead missed me altogether and killed five innocent people. Now it was possible that two people I cared about could never carry children because someone poisoned some of my food that I didn't eat.

It was all my fault, no matter what anyone said.

I had killed Tenten's baby.

The door opened. Natsu's face appeared in my vision amidst my tears.

"Found her," he called over his shoulder. He took a step forward, I'm assuming to comfort me, but Sasuke was faster. He brushed past Natsu and knelt in front of me before I realized that he was even nearby.

"Crying again?" he whispered.

"Seems to be the only thing I can do nowadays," I sniffed pathetically.

The corner of Natsu's mouth lifted. "You always were a softie," he commented.

"A softie that could kick your ass."

"Never said you were a wuss, Sis."

Sasuke touched his forehead to mine. His eyes, though dark as ever, seemed to convey the worry he felt. I had been seeing more and more of that look in his eyes as of late, but that was nothing new anymore. It seemed like the more things that happened to the people around me, the more Sasuke lost sleep trying to protect me.

Spies, bombs, poison in my food. Someone wanted me gone, and Sasuke could do nothing but make sure I had backup if I was ever attacked full-out. Considering the way things were going for me, my backup would get slaughtered and I'd escape relatively unharmed, adding yet another name to the list of people that had died for me.

Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Sometimes, hiding from the world seems like the best option. Maybe even the only one. But no matter where you hide, the sun still rises and the Earth still spins, even if you don't want it to. You have to keep moving forward. Don't let them chase you under a rock. Get out there and face the world, ready for anything." He opened his eyes. They burned with determination. "I'll protect you this time around."

Silence. Even Natsu couldn't think of something to say. (Which, in itself, said a lot.)

Sasuke was right, however much it killed me to admit. All the things that had happened just drove me deeper and deeper into a depression- made me think that the people of Sound were better off without me. Maybe, if I left, the attacks would stop, and the Akatsuki would follow me, leaving everyone else alone.

Sasuke kissed my forehead, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Have you been reading fortune cookies again? Or did you just throw a bunch of random words together and hope that it cheered me up?"

He pulled me to my feet, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Tell me if it worked first."

"Well, she hasn't kicked your ass yet, so I'm assuming it worked," Natsu voiced.

Sasuke snickered. "Come on," he said, kissing me swiftly. "Let's go get some dinner."

Natsu perked up immediately. "Food?"

"Some things never changed," I sighed. "All you men ever think about is food. And women."

"Yup!" my brother chirped.

"Woman," Sasuke corrected. "Just one."

He looked at me. I smiled, the final crack in my heart healing and leaving me with only a warm feeling in my chest. I stood on tip-toe and kissed his cheek, half-sure that I would whisper three words into his ear, but-

"Sakura and Sasuke, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-"

"I warned you what would happen the next time you started singing," I snarled.

Natsu abruptly stopped.

Sasuke snickered. "Now who's the whipped one?" He needled.

"He's not whipped," I said. "He just values his life is all. Now come on, I smell coffee."

I brushed past them both, zeroing in on the fresh, steaming pot of magic I saw before me. I grabbed the biggest cup I could find and took a healthy swig. I could almost feel my body beginning to wind up and store the coffee for my energy reserve later.

"Does she always drink that much caffeine?" Natsu asked.

"Are you kidding? She lives off it."

"Yeah," I said, filling my plate up with strawberries, smacking Sasuke's fingers when he reached for one. "It's the only way I can survive this place." Sasuke shot me a look and wandered off to fill up his own plate.

"It's not your only release though," Natsu whispered, casting a meaningful glance at Sasuke.

I groaned, resisting the urge to break my plate over his head.

"Nii-chan, I already told you that we haven't-"

"So why are you blushing, huh Sis? Something you're not telling me? Maybe I should go read him the big brother act again. Take advantage of my sister will you..."

"Okay, I lied. You don't value your life at all."

Natsu gave me a lopsided grin. Again, I found my eyes searching his face, settling on his new scars. Tortured, and for what? Information that anyone else could have given Wave. Our family murdered just to torture me as well. My life actively becoming hell because my friends were always hurt because of me. Why? Because I was a threat. And threats always needed to be gotten rid of.

Maybe I should leave. Just go, not looking back, if only to be certain that the attacks on Sound's people would stop. If I left, there would be nothing in Sound to attack. If I got away, Akatsuki (and the various assassins that Wave probably hired) would simply follow me out, leaving Sound in relative peace again.

So maybe I would leave.

Maybe I would.

I looked up and smiled back at my big brother, looping my arm through his and pulling him forward, towards my husband, who had already sat down and was waiting for us before he started eating.

"Come on," I said. "I'm hungry."

* * *

Hinata was propped up in her bed in the regulation paper-thin hospital gown with the ass-flasher in the back. Naruto had gone to spar with Sasuke and then get some sleep. Hinata smiled sadly at me when I came in.

"Hey," I said.

"Hello."

Insert classic awkward silence. A full minute of it.

Because Hinata had previously been injured in the bombings, her body had still been recovering. I had told her that she was good to do the everyday things, but she'd have to wait a while on the more athletic stuff. When she had gotten poisoned, it sent all the healing she had been doing straight to hell and seriously screwed her up again. So while Tenten went home after four days, Hinata had to stay an extra few for observation.

Naruto hadn't been to happy about that.

I cleared my throat, checking over her chart and noting that there were no changes. While that was good, it was also frustrating. It meant that we knew no more than we did yesterday. It worried me more than frustrated me, but there was no way I was telling Hinata that.

I cranked her bed until she was laying flat and channeled chakra to my hands. By placing my hands on her stomach, I could see into her organ systems. Everything seemed normal, which was good. But there was a chance that the damage was simply laying dormant, ready to erupt at any time, which wasn't good at all. I began to check her reproductive organs.

"Are you having any abdominal pain?" I asked, still following her fallopian tubes.

She shook her head. "Not really."

"Not really or not at all?"

"Not at all," she said, eyes on the ceiling.

If she wasn't feeling the pain, it meant that nothing was eating away at her organs. (And also that the hospital food didn't bother her. The woman had an iron stomach.) Her reproductive system seemed fine, but there was something off about it. Not off as in I-just-got-poisoned, but off as in I-might-have-trouble-getting-pregnant-in-general.

Of course, getting poisoned wasn't really helping her either.

There was some damage to her heart, which scared me for a second. It turned out to be an old wound, the result of a battle, but I double checked it anyways. I even managed to repair some of it, which, I was happy to tell her, might increase her lifespan by a few years. She looked impressed.

"You can do that?" she asked.

"Oh, psh, girl, don't you know? I'm the best. I can do anything."

She laughed. It was very good to hear.

I hooked her chart back to the edge of the bed, allowing any other nurses that came in to check on her to have easy access to it, and turned to leave, satisfied that she was fine. For now. Because, knowing my luck, I would discharge her and she'd die in an hour and Naruto would hate me forever because I couldn't save his wife.

But at least I wasn't paranoid or anything.

"Sakura."

I turned.

Hinata faced away from me, staring out of the window. The sky was grey in the way that promised snow. Some kids played outside, bundled up in heavy winter coats and mittens with fuzzy hats and scarves.

"Don't blame yourself for this. Naruto doesn't. I certainly don't."

"Been talking to Sasuke, huh?"

She turned to look at me. "He's scared," she said quietly.

"Scared? Sasuke?"

"He's afraid he's going to lose you."

I smacked my hand against my forehead and sighed heavily. As much as I liked the fact that Sasuke wanted to protect me, there was such a thing as too much. I mean, really. It was starting to get ridiculous. Even Natsu was getting bad. I got that someone, possibly more than one someone, was trying to kill me. But I could take care of myself.

"That man," I said, "doesn't seem to realized that I am not going to die the second he takes his eyes off me."

"Dying isn't the only way you can lose someone."

I slowly lowered my hand, meeting her eye carefully. Hinata had a reputation for being far more perceptive than you really wanted her to be when you couldn't afford for her to be seeing right through you.

Basically, she knew everyone in a nutshell.

Which kind of screwed me over.

"My mother left," she whispered. "A little after my sister was born. She told my father that what they had once was gone and that she'd found another. I haven't seen or heard from her since. Sometimes I wonder if Hinabi is my father's child." She looked out the window again. "She left him, us, and never looked back. That is what Sasuke is afraid of."

"Oh," I said. Because, really, what else could I say?

I shut the door behind me quietly and left Hinata to her thoughts. And prayed she had no idea what I was going to do.

* * *

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been walking back to your room, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you here a groaning sound, and then suddenly something crashes and wood chips go everywhere and you think it's another bomb, but it turns out someone put something in the walls of your room to weaken then and then your room collapses?

No?

Lucky.

Neither Sasuke or I had been in our room, but still. It scared the hell out of Sasuke. He came looking for me as soon as he heard the crash. He found me staring in disbelief at the rubble that had once been our room. His arm stayed around me until he was sure that I wasn't hurt. Which was sweet.

Natsu kicked what was left of my vanity.

"Geez Sis," he said. "Just how badly did you piss off these people?"

I buried my face into Sasuke's shoulder and closed my eyes, trying to block out the world. Sasuke's other arm wound around my waist and he held me close. Then he had to let me go because we had to start building a few support beams so the entire hallway wouldn't cave in on us. Which, you know, would be bad.

Then we had to salvage what we could of our possessions and move them to our new room. It wasn't as big as the original, but it was just as nice. And, I added silently to myself, it's not like I'll be here too much longer anyways. My heart squeezed painfully, but I put it in a box and locked it tight.

We ended up right next to Natsu's room, but that was okay. It gave me time to say goodbye and make sure he couldn't stop me. That part wouldn't be hard. My brother could sleep through a tornado tearing things to pieces right outside his window. Believe me, he's done it. Twice. (Konoha has some really unpredictable weather during monsoon season.)

I went into his room around ten, to find him sitting up in bed, clutching his chest and gasping, sweat pouring off him and eyes wild.

"Nii-chan?"

He turned to me. "Nightmares," he said shortly.

I sat on the edge of his bed, waiting, because I knew there'd be more. I hadn't had any nightmares in weeks, but I remembered them. Vividly. And I didn't doubt for a second that they'd be back sooner or later. Natsu had lived through the same thing I had, and then some. It came as no surprise that he was having nightmares.

"I dream about Suki a lot," he whispered. "I loved her so much, and now... now she's gone." He dug the heel of his hands into his eyes, trying to push back tears. "She's gone, and so's Mom and Dad and Kenji and Akina. It's just you and me Sis. Just you and me."

I scooted closer to him, rubbing my hand up and down his back.

"But it's not," I said. "It's you and me and Sasuke and Naruto and all our other friends. They're our family now."

Natsu smiled. "Yeah. They are, aren't they?" He glanced at me. "What do you do when your nightmares wake you?"

"I wake my husband and he holds me until I can sleep again or until I have to get up."

"Aww," he said. "That's sweet and all, but I don't have a husband to hold me."

I laughed. "Well I should hope not." I stood, brushing the wrinkles from my clothes. "You just need to find something that takes your mind from the pain and, eventually, it will fade."

He smiled and nodded and said goodnight. On my way out the door, I cast a jutsu to make sure he slept for a while yet and that nothing would wake him.

* * *

Our new room had a balcony. I was standing on it when Sasuke came back. He came straight to me, wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing my neck. His breath tickled my skin and I closed my eyes, committing this moment to memory. The wind blew my hair out, the cold cutting right through my nightgown.

Sasuke kissed my shoulder.

"Don't go."

I faced him.

"Don't leave me."

He knew. That didn't surprise me. Sasuke knew me better than both of us would like. I knew him pretty well too. I knew that he took his coffee black, nothing in it at all. I knew that his favorite color was dark blue, the same color as my first zip-up kimono. I knew that he had been best friends with Naruto since they were twelve. I knew he felt guilty for letting Kabuto live, even though I told him that, if he had killed him that night, I wouldn't have been chosen to marry him. ("If I can't feel guilty about the bombings, you can't feel guilty about letting Kabuto live. So shut up.") I knew that he liked my brother more than he ever expected to.

I knew that he would die to keep me safe.

I knew that I didn't want that to happen.

So I kissed him, deeply and desperately. I kissed him like it would be the last time. And when he lead me inside, I made love with him for the first time. Then we made love again, longer this time, and more than a little desperate.

"I love you," he said, nearly asleep.

I swallowed. "I know," I whispered.

As much as I hated to admit it, Natsu had right. But since he had been right about Sasuke being in love with me, I wasn't too unhappy about letting him gloat. There were so many little things you didn't notice until you looked for them, but if you noticed them, there was only one conclusion: my husband was just as much in love with me as I was with him.

"I love you too much to let you go."

I kissed his chest. "I love you too much to let you die," I said.

"I love you, Sakura. I love you," he insisted sleepily.

"I know."

He was asleep then, arm still clamped around my waist and holding on tight. I let him doze, waiting until I was sure that he was in a deep enough sleep before I moved. He didn't stir when I got out of bed, pulling on the travel clothes I had stowed nearby. He didn't know it when I cast the same jutsu on him that I had on Natsu, letting him sleep for hours before anything could wake him.

My ring came off my finger with little difficulty, but it felt heavy in my hand. My heart shattered when I put it on the pillow next to his. The pieces that were left turned to dust when I took my travel pack, filled with money, clothes, food, and weapons, and slipped silently out of the room.

I dodged people altogether, taking side halls and ducking into rooms filled with only furniture when I heard someone coming. So no one saw it when I walked outside into the cold, pulling my coat tighter around me. Snow began to fall around me. I was going to miss Ino's wedding, which was happening in the next week, but I hoped (prayed) she'd understand.

It took everything I had not to look back.

I had called this place my home for so long. These people were my people, and I was leaving to protect them. They would be better off without me. Akatsuki would find out that I was no longer in Sound and look for me elsewhere. My people would be safe.

The jutsu that turned me into a young teenager with black hair, blue eyes, twenty extra pounds, and four more inches in height was simple, hardly requiring any chakra at all. I sent a clone of what I really looked like off in the opposite direction on the off-chance that someone was looking out their window when I pulled open the gate and slipped away into the night.

I made it two miles before I started crying.

I let my tears fall and simply kept moving, never once looking back and leaving my heart behind me in pieces as I went.


	19. Keep Moving Forward

**BEFORE YOU SHOOT!** I had a wreck and my arm was in a sling for a while, making typing difficult, so have a little mercy? No? Well, then. *runs for life* You'll never take me alive! Hahahahaha! *falls flat on face* Ow...

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The snow melted, leaving muddy ground beneath my feet whenever I walked. New plants budded all around me. Green was everywhere, but the chill in the wind reminded us that winter was still nearby. The mornings were certainly chilly- I could see my breath whenever I woke up more often than not. I wanted to stay in bed for another hour or so, but I had to get up. I'd been staying at this little shack for nearly a week now.

Time to move on.

I couldn't stay in one place for too long- I'd draw too much attention to myself. Going into hiding wasn't the best idea if I was going to stay put for long periods of time. Making sure I didn't have a permanent address was the best way to stay inconspicuous. I had no doubt that Akatsuki was looking for me- minus one member. I managed to kill off another one (and was still nursing my wounds for it too). Zetsu, I think his name was. He looked like a plant.

My mirror- or the mirror, I should say; I didn't own anything I couldn't carry- fogged up from my shower. I wiped the condensation away and studied myself. My life on the run was starting to take its toll. I'd dropped about two sizes, putting me at the ever-enviable extra small size, but you could see my ribs if you looked close enough, so it's not like I was proud of it or anything.

And I had to cut my hair.

I didn't like that so much, but nearly knee-length hair would not only attracted attention, it got in the way. So I hacked it off. It just barely grazed my collarbone now. I had dyed it too. A rich mahogany brown. It was pretty, but the dye was fading now, so I was going to have to redo it soon. Although I could cast a genjutsu on myself to change my appearance, anyone could see though it if they knew the right jutsu. Or they happened to be a certain Sharingan user.

So I dyed my hair and wore colored contacts. That way, if anyone bothered to look through the illusion, they'd see someone who, hopefully, didn't look too much like me. I had been a grey eyed brunette for almost a month now. It was time to change it up a little.

Blonde dye never took to my hair, so I had to alternate between different shades of red and brown. This time though, I was going black. Black hair with a little wave, courtesy of an at-home perm kit I'd purchased a few towns back, and eyes so blue they were almost white. The contacts cost me a pretty penny, but I'd taken several thousand yen with me. Enough that money wasn't part of my worries. It was kind of trivial right now anyways.

Paranoia could destroy you, but when you're a ninja it could save your ass.

So I was being better safe than sorry and dying my hair for the third time in three months. I burned the trash in the little wood stove and scattered the ashes over the woods out back. Dressing myself had become somewhat of a hassle over the past few weeks. The clothes I had brought with me wore out and I was forced to get some new ones. But I had to wear clothes I could travel a good distance in, so they had to be durable, but I didn't want to look like I was traveling, so they had to look good.

Thankfully, the town I had settled in for the week had a shop that seemed to be more than happy to accommodate me. I stuffed some rent money in an envelope and left it in my landlord's mailbox. He was a nice elderly fellow who knew I wasn't going to stay long and didn't charge too much. I gave him a little extra for staying out of my business and asking no questions and I was on my way again, heading for the clothing store.

Jeans, I had found out, were perfect for my situation. They weren't too easy to wash without detergent, but if I got dark colored ones and stayed away from mud, it usually worked out okay. Plus, I could wear them for a few days without them getting too wrinkled. I tended to buy a few pairs at a time. Usually, I had to wing it with the shirts. Most of the time, I went for the layered look and switched shirts the next day. I had to wash what I could in a river or a stream, if I was living outdoors, or pay a machine if I was living in a town.

The woman at the counter gave me an odd look when I went to pay for my clothes, I guess because I had cast a genjutsu to make myself into a pre-teen and I was buying women's clothes, but she just rang me up and didn't say anything. I played up the part, stopping for ice cream on my way out of town and humming an upbeat tune under my breath.

I stopped as soon as there weren't any people around. There's only so long you can act happy when you're really not. I finished the ice cream though- there was no way I was about to throw away some fudge ripple. I went into the woods as a twelve year old eating her ice cream and came out seventeen and in jeans and a black tank top and a grey hoodie. The boots I had snagged from the half-off shelf weren't the best traveling shoes, but I knew a medical jutsu to stop you from getting blisters, so it was all good.

In the past three or so months, I had walked nearly seven hundred miles away from Sound. And I was still going. The more distance I between me and them, the better. Them being my friends and Sasuke, who was in a separate category because, well, he was Sasuke.

Leaving Natsu had been cruel. He was dead for nearly a year, then he turns up, alive and happy. His wounds were healing nicely, people liked him, and he was happy that I was okay. He loved to tease me about Sasuke, but he was my brother, so it was expected. Just a month and a half after he comes back into my life, I vanish from his. Not forever, I hoped. Maybe one day Akatsuki would be gone and I could go home.

And maybe Sasuke would take me back.

I didn't want to know what he was doing right now. Maybe he was looking for me too. Maybe he wasn't. He was the Kage, so it wasn't like he could just up and leave at a moment's notice. His duty was to his people, not to his wife, who randomly went MIA. So while I hoped he was doing the right thing and sitting at the table, eating lunch and arguing with Naruto, some part of me wished he would look for me. Then I dismissed the thought and told myself that the longer we stayed apart, the better.

That didn't mean it made my heart hurt any less though. But with each passing mile, it got a little easier to breathe. Maybe someday I could put enough distance between us and we'd both be happy. Well, I probably wouldn't be, but it was nice that I could optimistically lie to myself. Otherwise I'd be all depressed and wouldn't make it through the days.

* * *

Rivers were the best place to stop by. They supplied fresh water and dinner if you knew how to fish. It was also a good place to bathe if you were like me and hadn't stopped moving in about three days. The town I had last inhabited was long behind me and I felt tired. And I smelled funny, so a bath was in order no matter what. I could see lights far off in the distance, so I would pass though a town at some point the next day, and I wasn't about to waltz in smelling like, well, like I had been running for three days straight.

I searched for chakra to my left, then to my right. No people for miles and miles. Not the way I liked it, but it was how it needed to be. My purse was huge and I wore it slung across my torso. It was cute enough to get away with just being a purse, but was large enough to hold a ton of stuff, so I could use it as a travel bag. Right now, it had soap and shampoo, the two things I needed most in the world.

I stripped down and jumped in, holding in a yelp when I realized the water was colder that I had first thought. It was only March after all. I washed quickly, drying off fast and building a fire to sit by and cook my dinner.

Fishing had never been my strong point, but I was getting better. I caught two decent sized ones and scaled them as best as I could. My stomach rumbled as I rotated them slowly over the fire, but I managed not to wolf them down like some kind of animal when they were finished.

After dinner, I gathered firewood. Physical labor kept my hands busy, but not my mind. I thought way too much for my liking, my mind wandering back to everyone at Sound. I wondered how Hinata was doing. She had to be back at home now. Were she and Naruto trying to have a child? Could she have children? I hadn't stayed around long enough to find out. Was Naruto to afraid to try?

What about Tenten? She could try to have kids again, but would she? Knowing Neji, they'd be extremely careful for the next few months. Hell, if he had it his way, she'd still be bedridden. Neji had been the last person I had ever expected to be overprotective of their spouse, but he was giving Sasuke a run for his money. Maybe it was that way with all emotionless people.

I tried very hard not to think about Sasuke.

So, of course, I thought about him most of all.

He should stay in Sound. I knew that, so he probably knew that too. If he didn't, he mostly likely had that little voice in his head, telling him to stay put. Of course, Sasuke never listened to that little voice, so there was no telling what he was doing right now. I was a few time zones away, so I didn't even know what part of the day it was in Sound. Was it early morning? Was it tomorrow already? Was Sasuke laying awake in bed right now, thinking about me and wondering if I was okay?

I doubted the last one. If anything, he was probably cursing my very existence.

Natsu, God knows how he was. It had taken a while for people to warm up to him, but once they got to know him, they immediately loved him. He had friends now, but he was the one most likely to come looking for me, so it was him I was being very careful of. My brother specialized in finding things- keys, pets, sisters that vanished in the middle of the night. He'd been good at finding things since he was little. I had to rely on my knowledge of him in order to stay a step ahead. At least, I hoped I was a step ahead. For all I knew, he was right behind me.

Then I got all paranoid and started looking around for him and searching for chakra anywhere near me within a twenty-mile radius, but all I found was some sleeping birds and one wide-eyed owl. And a cat that wandered over, but decided I was nothing of interest and left shortly after it came. I was wide awake now, too hyped up to sleep.

I got like that sometimes. I could settle down and be halfway asleep when I suddenly thing Natsu or Sasuke or someone could be nearby and then I never got to sleep.

I sensed someone with chakra come into my sweep of the land and my heart jumped into my throat. I masked my chakra as best I could and dosed the fire with dirt to avoid smoke.

Okay, time to hit the road. I cast a genjutsu to look skinner and taller and hoped I just looked like a vain teenager trying to make herself look better. Then I took off a breakneck pace down the road and onto a path that veered left, towards town. If someone was looking for me, it would be harder for them to locate me in a throng of people than it would if I just sat in the woods.

I ran down the hill towards the lights and music. There was a festival going on- a celebration of some kind. Perfect. Plenty of people for me to blend in with. I could hide in plain sight. I had to be careful not to get noticed though, so I could move on the next day without too much fuss.

"Hey baby, where you goin'?"

I looked to my left. A boy hung off another man's shoulders. He was very obviously drunk. He was also talking to me, reaching out to pull me close. I stepped sideways and looked at the man he was hanging off of. He was tall, taller than me in my heels and a genjutsu, and had blonde hair. He was probably very good looking. But he wasn't Sasuke, so it didn't matter.

He also looked embarrassed on his friend's behalf.

"Sorry," he said to me. "He's had a few too many."

"Not enough!" the boy protested, slumping forward and staggering. He righted himself, coming up beside me and putting his arm around my shoulders. "Let us drink!" he bellowed. "You'n'me babe. You'n'me." He planted an alcohol kiss on my temple.

"Washi, come on man. You're embarrassing yourself."

"It's not embarrassing until you remember it in the morning," I said, tactfully stepping out from under his arm. Washi stumbled a bit, apparently he had been leaning on me, but his friend snagged him before he could plant himself in the dirt. He looked a little annoyed.

"I'm going to make him remember," he muttered. "Have a nice night," he said over his shoulder, trying his best to walk forward. "Come on, man. Home is this way."

"But she's going that way!" Washi protested.

"Yeah she is. She really is." He sounded kind of wistful, like he wished he could do the same.

I almost reached out to help. I had already taken a step forward, intending to put Washi's arm back around my shoulders and help lead him safely back to his house. My mouth opened, ready to tell them to wait, that I'd help, but then I sensed it again. The chakra was coming closer and it was coming fast. Really fast. I had to get out of there. I spun on my heel and dove into the crowd, running as fast as I could.

People bumped me, but a lot of them were drunk and none of them stopped me. I was cursed at, but I didn't stop for them either. I ran and ran, pumping chakra to my legs to go faster while keeping the rest of it masked so I wouldn't be recognized. It wasn't easy and I was getting tired, but I couldn't stop. I even downed a solider pill so my body wouldn't give out.

The sun rose.

I kept running.

I didn't stop until the sun set and my breath came in ragged gasps. I sent a clone of myself still running into the next town with what was left of my chakra. Then I turned into the woods, determined to get a few more miles before I collapsed. I managed four before I had to sit.

I say I had to because my legs buckled under me and I allowed the rest of me to follow. My breathing was still awfully rough and my heart was racing, so I really did need a break, but I also couldn't afford one right now. With every ounce of willpower I possessed, I stood up and kept going. My clone fizzled and went out so I could conserve chakra.

Which was kind of good, actually. It made it easier for me to mask my charka when I didn't have much to mask in the first place. I kept going, managing to make myself run after a few more miles, but having to keep my pace at civilian due to chakra depletion. But that was okay. I could keep up that pace for a few more miles yet, hopefully ten or, if I was really lucky, twenty.

My back twinged, my scar from Zetsu reminding me that I wasn't entirely healed yet, but I didn't stop. It wasn't like I had the chakra or the energy to heal it anyways. It was probably going to open again if I didn't do something about it, but my little voice told me that stopping to dig out my medical kit and wrap my wound wasn't the best idea right then. I listened to my little voice. It hadn't done me wrong so far.

I was insanely lucky and make it twenty five miles, coming to rest just outside the forest. My luck held when I found a lean-to. I thanked my lucky stars when I peeked inside and found nothing but dust. No one had been there in a very long time. I wasn't near a town, so it was possible someone had tried to make it a house, or use it as a storage shed, but had later moved on.

Then I told myself not to think too much and just be glad that it was there, because it looked like it was going to rain soon. And I really didn't want to be outside for that. The roof had a few holes in it, but I found a spot that was pretty much covered and set up camp there. My sleeping mat had seen better days, but it served its purpose well and I didn't want to waste money on a new one until I had to.

Sleep came quickly. I didn't dream, or if I did, I didn't remember. Probably a good thing since my nightmares were starting again. I got about two a week. Not as bad as they had been once, but they still interfered with my plans. My plans being sleeping a lot a night and moving on in the mornings if I could. My insomnia often hindered that plan. At least I didn't jump when people talked to me. I had gotten good at tuning them out and didn't hear it if someone did speak to me, so I was never startled.

I had been lucky so far. Only one run-in with the Akatsuki, but I had escaped with only minor injuries and he didn't escape at all. Shelters were few and far between unless I was in a village, but it was getting warmer now, and I could always build a fire or move during the night and sleep during the day if I had to. And so far, no one knew who I was.

People rarely interacted with me, unless I was buying something. If I was just walking down the street, they acted like I didn't exist half the time. That was fine by me- I could keep going and get away from them faster. The longer I stayed in one place, the more likely it was that I would get attached to the people and would want to stay. But that would put them in danger, so I never stayed in one place too long. A week or two at the most, if that.

But my luck was going to run out soon. I knew it was.

I woke up in the middle of the day, scanning for chakra again, sensing someone about fifty miles off and heading right for me. Someone familiar. I grabbed my stuff and ran for two more days, sending clones with chakra signatures in all different directions every chance I got. I slept for an hour at a time and hardly ate. I put as much distance behind me as I could, running and running until I had to stop and rest.

I couldn't deal with this. I left to protect everybody, to get Akatsuki away from the people I loved. And I was still running. And I was still being chased. I could run for days on end and still never be safe. Every time I stopped- to eat, to rest, to stock up on supplies- I couldn't really stop. I couldn't even stand still for five minutes anymore.

Even if I got away, even if I managed to put more distance between me and my pursuer I could stop and sleep, I would wake with a start, sensing someone coming close, too close, and I'd be off again. Sleep was a luxury I couldn't afford anymore. A twenty minute nap here or there was all I allowed myself. Ten if I had to eat. My body was used to the sleep pattern but not the exercise that followed and it began to rebel on me. Sometimes I'd stand still for a few minutes to catch my breath and I'd find myself jerking awake half an hour later.

I'd just dozed off when I sensed the chakra thirty two miles away a closing, this time with another, also familiar chakra that made me run twice as fast and twice as far. I popped solider pills like they were candy and used all my chakra to keep myself going until, finally, I couldn't sense them anymore and allowed myself to fall to the ground and sleep.

They'd find me soon, I knew they would, but my body was tired, and I needed to rest. I needed to eat too, but my eyes closed before I could even search for them and make sure they were far away.

Sasuke hadn't stayed in Sound.

He was looking for me. And, if I was reading the chakra right, Natsu was with him. Meaning Naruto was probably running things back in Sound. God have mercy on those people. And on Neji, who was more than likely being forced to do Naruto's will.

But back to Sasuke looking for me.

God. He was _looking_ for me.

He was hundreds of miles away from his home and he was trying to find me. It put him in danger. Even gone, I was still causing trouble for him. So I couldn't stop. Because if I stopped, he'd catch me. And if he caught me, he'd get me to go back. I couldn't go back, not until I knew my people were safe.

So I kept going, kept moving forward. And I never once slowed down.


	20. Stupid Logic

Typically, biographies end in death. Technically, autobiographies are supposed to, but people like to read happy endings (unless, of course, they're sadists) and the story will end on a happy note in the person's life. Plus there's no way to write about your own death because, well, you're _dead_. Can't do much when you're dead. Fact of life.

You also can't do much while being chased by the man you were forced to marry and ended up falling in love with but left to keep safe but he followed you for who knows what reasons and you try really hard not to think about the last night you ever spent with him when he told you that he loved you and you waited for him to fall asleep and left and haven't seen him in over four months and you miss him so much you hurt.

That was happening to me and, let me tell you, it doesn't allow much time for dilly-dallying. (And yes, I did just say dilly-dallying. Say something about it. I dare you.)

I had even less time on my hands because my once-dead, now-alive brother was also chasing me. I briefly wondered who convince who to leave Sound, or if they just both left at the same time and decided to join forces in tracking down one pink haired pain-in-their-asses (i.e. me). Probably the second one. That being the case, I had to wonder who convinced Naruto to stay. Sasuke probably bribed him by saying he could run things while he and Natsu looked for me.

Oh, and another thing about having my brother look for me? He knew all my tricks. True, he hadn't seen me in about a year, but I hadn't changed much, and neither had my technique. I looked different, but they had to know that I wouldn't just go wandering around with my pink hair down to my knees. That was equivalent to sitting under a giant flashing neon sign that read "Uchiha Sakura, ran away from home. Contact her husband, the richest, best looking man you'll ever meet!"

Which, you know, wouldn't be the best idea in the world.

I had been sending clones and chakra signatures in every other direction as I went, but the thing about genjutsus is, as good as they are and as good as I am at casting them, they don't work on Sasuke. His special family technique, the Sharingan, makes sure that no genjutsu, no matter how good it is, will ever work on him.

Ever.

So, that left me with little choice but to do something that they wouldn't expect me to do. Something that they wouldn't see coming in a million years. Something totally un-Sakura. Something that would throw them so I could get away and find a safe place to sleep for a decent amount of time before I had to start running again.

Problem was, if I did something like that, it would be something that I had never done before and thereby had never had any practice doing it and might end up getting caught.

Of course, if I kept doing what I was doing, I was going to get caught anyways. So I had to try something. Well, actually, first I had to figure out something to do and figure out a way to do it and _then_ I could try it. I couldn't sit down and think about it either. I literally had to think on my feet (while running on them actually), and think fast.

And just like that, I had a plan.

* * *

*Sasuke*

Before all the chasing started, I considered myself to be in very good shape. In fact, I thought I was in excellent physical condition. I trained daily, exercised constantly and tangled with dangerous S-rank ninja on occasion. I could escape almost any fight with little to no injury to myself. And no, I'm not being conceited, I'm just stating the facts.

But then Sakura... left... and Natsu and I began to chase her. And chase her. And chase her. We ran until the miles blurred together and I wasn't even sure I remembered how to walk anymore. It made me question what 'in shape' really meant. Natsu and I ate while running (very messy, I don't recommend it) and hardly ever stopped, and I do mean ever. Stopping was allowed only for bathroom breaks, sleeping, and on the occasion that we lost track of Sakura.

Which was about to happen again if we didn't pick up the pace.

"You know," Natsu said mildly, "I distinctively remember Sakura telling me that she hates running."

We jumped into the trees, leaping from branch to branch, trying to get closer to Sakura.

"Really."

"Oh yeah. When she started the physical training in the Academy, she complained about all the running." He dodged a branch that nearly hit him in the face. "Of course, it was right after she had to relearn how to walk, so I can't really blame her."

"Her scars," I recalled. One on either side of each leg, a smooth patch of pink skin that reached nearly from knee to ankle. They looked like they'd be jagged to the touch but were actually as smooth and soft as any other part of her skin.

"She's got a few of them," Natsu muttered with the guilt any big brother would have.

"So do you," I mentioned. "More than a few."

He touched his cheek self-consciously. Most of his scars were in places that could be hidden, like the six or seven that ran down his back, but some, like the ones on his face, were out for the world to see. Sakura was the same. She had more scars than I had originally imagined. She was a ninja, meaning she had been in battles, and battles leave marks, but some were more than that.

Like she was right in front of me, I could picture them. The scar on her neck, the newest one, marking her as a survivor. The two on her legs, old but still visible, marking her as strong. The one on her stomach, mirrored on her back, marking her as a protector. Sakura wouldn't be Sakura without her scars, each one having a story behind it, each one making her strong. The last night Sakura was home, the night she left, I ran my hands along those scars, tracing them with my fingertips and committing them to memory.

I had mixed feelings about that night.

I had told her I loved her, the three words I had never told a woman before, and we had gotten as close as two people could ever get. She had told me she loved me, words I had heard many women tell me, but none of them really loved me, not like Sakura did. I went to sleep, thinking things would be okay. Hard, but okay. I even had the clichéd thought of 'as long as we're together, it'll all be okay'.

And when I woke up, she was gone.

So was I angry that she left? Yes. But I was even angrier at myself for not being able to protect her. Was I sad that she left? Yes, but you'll never get me to admit it in front of Naruto. (Although I wouldn't doubt that he knows. It's scary how much he knows about me that I've never told him. Comes with being a best friend I guess.)

And I missed her so much that I ached.

I missed the way she rolled her eyes whenever I told her to do something. I missed the way she glared at Naruto. I missed the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she fought. I missed her getting lost in the Manor. I missed the late nights where we'd lay in bed and talk. I missed being able to pull her close and kiss her. I missed kissing her in the morning when she'd been awake for an hour and I was just getting up.

Actually, I just missed kissing her. And holding her. And-

"You're about a million miles away," Natsu said, jerking me back to reality. I marveled slightly that I hadn't been hit in the face by a tree branch.

"When did we change directions?"

"About ten miles ago."

"... Oh," I said, uncomfortable that Natsu hadn't only caught me daydreaming, he more than likely knew exactly what I was daydreaming about. Like his sister, he was very aware of went on in my head. I privately wondered if Naruto had been giving lessons.

"I miss her too," he said. "Don't worry, we'll get her back."

I could sense her chakra, forty miles ahead of us, moving fast and getting farther away, but we kept going. There was no way we were going to stop now. We were so close to getting her back that if we kept the pace we were going now, we might even catch up to her before nightfall. We could see her, finally after four months of running. We were going to get her back.

It was like I downed six solider pills at once. I wasn't tired anymore. I felt like I could run for another month straight.

We were going to get Sakura back.

And then I couldn't sense her anymore.

Natsu and I skidded to a startled stop, both scanning for her. She'd vanished on us before, but we were usually able to keep going and find her again in about five minutes or so. This time though.... it felt like if we didn't find her, and find her now, we were going to lose her. Panic began to work its way into my system. Where was she? I had just sensed her. She was_ just here_. She couldn't be gone. She couldn't be.

She wasn't.

I don't know how I knew it, but I knew, I _knew_ that she was close. Close enough that if I reached out, I could touch her. Which was ridiculous. If I couldn't sense her charka, then there was no way that I could just reach out and-

"NO!" Natsu roared. "Not now, not when we're this close!" He whipped around like he expected her to be behind him. "Where are you? Answer me, Sis!" He cupped his hands around his mouth. "_SAKURA!!_"

"She's here."

"What?"

"I can feel her."

Natsu blinked. "But, her chakra-"

"I can't sense her chakra, but I can feel _her_." Every sensor in my body was screaming that she was close, so close. My brain was telling me that I needed to go, that logically I had a better chance of catching her if I kept moving, but I wasn't listening to logic anymore. My heart, the one thing that told me the truth anymore, was telling me differently.

"Where is she?"

It was like we were connected by a string. The closer I got, the more the string pulled on me to point me in the right direction. Right now it was pulling on me so hard I half expected to fall over, which meant Sakura was close. Really close.

I stood as still as I possibly could, listening for a rustle in the bushes, a twig snapping, anything to tell me she was here, but there was nothing. It was silent. I had no evidence that she was here. For all I knew, Sakura hadn't stopped at all and was a hundred miles ahead of us, getting farther away.

Logic told me she wasn't here.

But something else said she was right beside me.

And like I said before, I was finished listening to logic.

* * *

*Sakura*

My plan wasn't the most brilliant thing in the world, but it had certainly thrown Sasuke and Natsu for a loop. I knew that, logically, as long as I kept moving, my brother and husband would keep chasing me. The more I ran, the more they did. I got farther and farther from Sound and they got closer and closer to me. So I posed a logical question.

If I stopped, would they stop too?

My chakra was low anyways, so it was nothing to completely mask it and hide. I picked a dense patch of bushes and trees and used every ounce of ninja stealth I possessed to stay hidden. I braced myself for the moment that they rushed past so fast they were practically blurs.

I didn't count on them stopping right in front of me, or Sasuke knowing I was close by.

He knew because he loved me, and because he had spent the last four months chasing me on little more than a guess at which way I was going. He turned to look right at the spot where I was hiding, his dark eyes reflecting desperation as they searched for any sign of me.

Hot tears rolled down my cheeks and my throat began to sting.

We were this close to each other, but we were so far apart. I knew if he saw me, there was no way I could run again. He would catch me and ask me to come home. If he asked me, hell, if he just flat out told me to come home, I would go. No second thoughts, no worries, nothing. I'd go, if only to be with him again. And I wanted to be with him. I wanted to wake up next to him in the mornings. I wanted to kiss him, hug him, touch him... I wanted to spend the rest of my life at his side.

But I couldn't. Not while the Akatsuki and every other dangerous person in the history of ever wanted me dead. People wanting me dead equaled people I care about being hurt.

So as much as I loved Sasuke, I knew I couldn't go home yet.

"She's here somewhere," Sasuke said desperately. "I know it."

Natsu was trying to look in every direction at once, calling my name over and over until his voice cracked. I wanted to answer him, badly, but I couldn't, any more than I could just get up and show myself. I couldn't go home, I couldn't run, I couldn't do anything but wait.

And wait.

Sasuke didn't move for over an hour, and neither did I. He stood perfectly still, waiting, I guess, for me to make some noise so he could find me, but I wasn't moving, so I wasn't making noise. It got late in the afternoon and the sun started to dip below the horizon. The shadows grew long and it began to get chilly. But he still didn't move.

"Sasuke," Natsu whispered, "she doesn't want to be found."

"She belongs at home, with her friends and family," Sasuke snapped, turning to look at him. "She shouldn't be running like this, keeping everyone at a distance and having nowhere to sleep at night but the ground. She needs to be home, with the people who love her." He clenched his hand into a fist so tight I saw blood drip between his fingers. "She needs to be with her husband, who loves her and wants her home, safe, and where he can make sure nothing happens to her."

The sob worked its way up my throat and nearly escaped. I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from making any noise.

This is what's best, I told myself. This is what needs to be done. I have to do this. I have to.

Under the cover of darkness with Sasuke and Natsu sitting silently around a campfire, I locked my charka with an iron grip and slipped away. My heart screamed at me to turn around and go back, to go up to Sasuke and kiss him for the first time in months and hold him and promise to never leave him again. But logic told me to keep going, so that's what I did.

I was so focused on getting away from them, I didn't notice the two Akatsuki members hiding in the trees. When I finally did sense that there was someone other than me, the bomb had already gone off. The explosion knocked me off my feet and I went flying. I hit a tree so hard that it snapped like it was nothing more than a toothpick.

I hit the ground hard, feeling my wound from Zetsu rip open and begin to spew blood. My head bounced off the ground, stunning me to the point that I couldn't even raise my brusied arms to sheild my face from the bits of tree and earth raining down. I coughed, surprised that my fall hadn't cracked any ribs, only bruised them.

Deidara grinned at me.

"Thought you could get away, un?"

Another man- I assumed it was a man- stood beside him, a mask with a single hole in it covering all of his face. I hadn't seen him before, and even if I had, I hurt too much and was way too tired to remember. I wasn't at full strength and getting slammed into a tree and then the ground hadn't helped me any. In fact, I was well on my way to passing out. And since there were two people who wanted to kill me right in front of me, passing out wasn't the best idea.

"Sorry, but we're gonna kill you right here and right now," Deidara chuckled, both hands diving into the pouches of clay. Clay that made bombs. Bombs that could very easily kill me. My world was starting to blur at the edges and my body refused to obey my commands of 'stand up or I die!'. "You and your friends have killed off a lot of us, so we thought we'd return the favor."

The masked one shifted away from Deidara. "You're not going to blow up the bombs while we're still around her are you? We could get hurt!"

Oddly, my life didn't flash before my eyes. My vision blackened and I knew that I was about to die, but did I have any profound thoughts? Did I have happy memories from my life to comfort me as I passed from life? No. Of course not.

In fact, all I could think was 'Deidara's stupid chuckle is the last thing I'm ever going to hear.'

'Well, that and the sound of lots and lots of chirping birds.'

And then, in my rapidly fading consciousness, I thought 'Birds? At this time of night?'

Then, a voice growled out from above me, causing Deidara and the one in the mask to back rapidly away.

"Get the fuck away from my wife."

And then I passed out.


	21. Being Dead

What happened next... is hard to explain, but I'll try my best. Have you ever dreamed something that was so convincing, seemed so real, that you were confused when you woke up? Like your dream was the real thing and reality seemed fake? It was sort of like that, only it wasn't a dream. It was really real.

My story is a strange one to say the least. I started off as a normal girl in Konoha, then became an orphan, an only child, and a wife, all within the same year. I fell in love with the guy I was forced to marry, and found out I wasn't an only child after all.

Those parts of the story have already been told.

This is the part where I died.

But only for a little while. See, when I passed out, I didn't actually pass out. I _died_. As in, my heart stopped beating and I stopped breathing. My injuries, while severe, wouldn't have been enough to kill me if I hadn't lived the last four months hardly eating or sleeping. The state of my body went way downhill, so when Deidara set off his bomb, he got what he aimed for: my life.

Which, as you probably guessed, really- and I mean _really_- pissed off an already angry Sasuke.

Most of you can probably guess what happened next. Enraged husband plus psychopath plus dead wife equals epic battle. Natsu went against Tobi, which nearly killed him. Nearly killed Natsu. Tobi got away.

Sasuke's battle with Deidara went on long into the night and past daybreak. Natsu, very badly injured, and very upset about my death, went to guard my body. And get out of the way of the ensuing battle that would have claimed not only Deidara's life, but Sasuke's as well if not for one thing.

Me.

See, I told you this was going to be hard. I mean, how could I save my husband? I was already dead and, like I said before, you can't do much when you're dead. Actually, you can't do anything when you're dead. Just f.y.i.

So how did I save Sasuke from beyond the grave?

In a word, Suki. She met me at the sprawling iron gate that was covered in chains. I assumed it went to the afterlife (so many people brought back from the brink of death talked about seeing the gate to the other side, but I never thought it would be an actual gate).

At first, I thought I was unconscious again, my body struggling to stay alive. Suki and I were on different sides of the gate, so I figured as long as I didn't open the gate and go through, I was safe.

Wrong.

Suki was the gate guardian, waiting for lost souls to make their way to her so she could give them guidance and they could finally rest in peace. She only opened the gate when they were ready to go wherever they needed to go. Her side was for people coming to the afterlife. My side was for people already in it. So guess what?

I was on the wrong freaking side of the gate. That's what.

"Didn't expect to see you here for a few more years," Suki commented casually.

"I didn't expect to see you at all," I admitted.

"No one does."

I rested my head against the bars that separated us and studied her. She hadn't changed a bit, not that I expected her to. Her hair was the same color, the same length. She was the same height, weight, everything. She was still my brother's wife, my sister-in-law. She was still Suki.

It was good to see her and all, but it was some pretty lousy timing. I mean, Sasuke had chased me for months, and I was going to die the second he found me?

Although I could suppose it was fitting for me, punishment for ever thinking I could actually be happy or some other thought equally pessimisticly deep. But Natsu and Sasuke, looking for me all this time only to find me dead...

"So what now?" I asked. "Do I just turn around and start walking?"

She tilted her head to the side and stared at me. It was more than a little unnerving. In fact, it was freaking me out. Suki had never been a starer. In fact, she'd always been very vocal about what was on her mind.

But now she was staring.

And not stopping.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "What are you staring at?" I asked.

"You can touch the gate," she said, more to herself than to me. "Not just anyone can do that." To prove it, she reached out to grab the bars. Just before her fingers touched the metal, something that looked strangely like blue lightning wrapped around her hand, singeing her skin.

She withdrew her arm slowly, still staring at me (and still freaking me out).

"I don't think you're supposed to be here yet," she told me. "It's still too early for you, but you're on the other side already."

I grabbed the bars and shook, rattling the chains. The gate moaned, but stayed closed. Maybe if I broke the chains, I thought, already reaching for them, the gate would open. They didn't budge. I put every bit of my superhuman strength into pulling those damn links apart, but they didn't so much as bend.

"If I'm not supposed to be here," I said, kicking the gate in frustration, "why the hell can't I leave?"

Suki bit her lip.

"I don't know," she admitted. "It's weird. The gate wants to let you pass, but it won't open. It's like it's testing you."

I stopped kicking. "It _wants_ to let me pass? Since when do gates _want_ anything?"

"This gate is not like any gate you've ever seen. It decides whether or not to let people pass. A lot of people think that's my job, but I'm just the messenger. The gate is the one that does all the work- I just tell people what it decided." She frowned, staring at the very top of the gate. "But this is the first time I don't know what it's going to do."

I was so confused.

"What does that mean?"

She looked at me, confusion written all over her face. "I think it means that you have to choose if you can pass or not."

Huh?

Reading my confusion correctly, Suki elaborated. "Why did you leave Sound?" she asked.

"To protect the people I love," I said, still confused. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"You once thought that, if you died, everyone would be safe, right? The gate knows that, and it knows that you're thinking it now. If you decide that your death is what needs to happen, the gate will stay closed.

"However, if you decide to keep on living, to go back to Natsu and your husband, the gate might open, and let you live again."

I glanced up at the chains. "Might?"

She shrugged, glancing upwards as well. "There's no guarantee it'll work," she said. "But I think that's why it's not telling me anything."

"So, because I don't know if I need to live or not, the gate doesn't know either, which means it can't tell you anything, because it knows that I _don't_ know."

"That about sums it up, yeah."

That meant I had to decide if I wanted to come back to life or not. My first thought was _hell yeah I want to go back_. But then I started thinking (dangerous, I know, but I just can't help myself sometimes). I thought about all the dangers I had put everyone through. I thought about all the lives that had been lost in an effort to take mine. I thought about the people that had suffered to keep me safe.

I thought about Sasuke, abandoning his duty as leader just to search for me. I thought about Tenten's baby, never getting to see the light of day. I thought about Hinata, crushed under debris from a bomb that was meant for me.

All those things had happened because of me.

So wouldn't it be better if I stayed dead?

"Before you make up your mind, there's something you should know," Suki said softly.

I had to mentally brace myself before she told me. I was dead, so there wasn't much that could surprise me, but I still wanted to be prepared, you know, just in case.

"Sasuke will die."

My heart wasn't pumping, so blood wasn't actually flowing through my body at that point in time, but I swear it turned to icy sludge in my veins. I went completely numb and couldn't even feel my lips as I mumbled out the question:

"Why?"

Suki looked strangely happy and sad at the same time. Like she had to tell me this and I needed to hear it, but I wasn't going to like it one bit.

She stayed quiet for a little too long. I grabbed the gate and shook it so hard I thought the chains might snap right off.

"Suki answer me!"

"He loves you."

I could feel myself blushing. "What does that have to do with _this_?" I rattled the gate again, trying to use my strength to bend the bars enough so that I could just step through and go beat something.

"He said it himself. You are his world, and you just died. Right now he's angry at the man who killed you, and he's about to kill that man." She looked a little smug at that. "But."

I was about to reach through the bars and choke her if she didn't spill everything she knew right then.

"When this fight is over, if you are still dead, he will die. He won't die from his injuries, or from the poison that Deidara is trying to inject him with. He'll die because he'll lose the will to live."

My knees buckled under me and I slid bonelessly to the ground. I could speak, or move, or form a coherent thought. I felt like someone twice as strong as me had socked me right in the gut and tossed me across the room.

"If you're dead, he doesn't see the point in living."

Sasuke would die because he wouldn't want to go on without me.

He'd die because I had died. He'd die because it would break his heart.

"Are you okay?"

I managed to lift my head. Suki was kneeling on the other side of the gate, arms outstretched like she wanted to touch me, but the bars kept her from coming any closer. I felt tears start to form and slide down my cheeks.

Sasuke was going to die of a broken heart.

Sasuke would die.

"Sakura?"

That _idiot_.

"Is it possible," I asked, "to love someone with all your heart, but still want to kill them?"

Suki laughed a little. "Believe me, it is."

"If... if I go back, if I live, will Sasuke live too?"

"Yes, but," she said quickly, before I could even open my mouth, "don't make your decision just for him. Make your decision for _all_ the people you love, not just one."

All of the people I loved. Not just Sasuke, but everyone.

Memories flooded me. Tenten laughing and tackling me. Ino shrieking with laughter and teasing me. Naruto flinching as I balled my fist. Neji's silent thank you as he held Tenten close. Kanni whooping with joy as I healed a near-dead patient. Anko wailing because I'd messed up my hair. Yumi smiling gratefully as I handed her a cup of coffee.

Random people thanking me for all I've done. Sasuke laughing. Natsu singing. Temari roaring with laughter and slinging an arm over my shoulder. Hinata, blushing but determined, in Naruto's arms.

_Thank you. So much._

All those things had happened because of me.

So what good would I be dead?

"I'm going back," I said decisively. "My friends need me."

"That's my girl." Suki smiled. "Tell Natsu I said hi, and he's an idiot, but I love him."

And the chains shattered, the metal showering down and fading away. The gate swung open into a light so bright I had to shut my eyes. And when I opened them, Natsu was sitting beside me, tears cascading down his cheeks, one hand pressed to his side to stop the sluggish bleeding of a large wound.

And Sasuke was kneeling beside me, his own eyes watery.

"You're alive," he gasped. "You're alive."

"Thank god," Natsu sighed, brushing my hair out of my eyes.

I tilted my head back, catching my brother's eye. He was a little worse for wear, but he'd live.

We all would.

I smiled and took Natsu's hand in mine, the other reaching out for Sasuke. He took my hand, holding it like he was afraid I'd break.

"Suki says you're an idiot," I whispered. "And she loves you."

Natsu made a noise between a gasp and a sob, gripping my hand so tightly both our fingers turned white. New tears fell from his eyes but he smiled, even laughing a little as he helped me sit up. Despite the fact that I was supposed to be injured, I felt fine. Nothing hurt, and nothing was bleeding.

I guess the gate decided not only to send me back, but to heal me as well.

Sasuke looked me over, gently touching my face, turning me to face him. It took all my courage to look him in the eye- all those months of running, avoiding him, there was no telling how he was feeling right then- but when I did, I saw nothing but relief. There was no anger, no hate- just simple relief that I was alive (well, that and a serious case of fatigue).

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until you're eighty," he informed me.

"Yeah, you're totally grounded Sis."

Despite everything, I began to laugh.

"Don't worry," I told them. "I'm not going anywhere."

And then, for the first time in four months, two weeks, and five days, I wrapped my arms around my husband and kissed him. His arm went around my waist, the other fisting in my hair to keep me close.

We were in the middle of the woods, nowhere near Sound or any village or people. We were tired, sweaty, hurt, and wanted nothing but a good meal and place to sleep and to make sure all our friends were okay.

Yet I couldn't help but feel, with Sasuke's arms around me, his heart beating in sync with mine, that I was finally where I needed to be.

Sasuke didn't let go of me, even as we crossed Konoha's border (we decided to go there since it was closer than Sound and ask for a place to rest for a while), but I didn't complain. He had lost me, if only for a second, and he was keeping me close.

But he had no idea how close he had come to death himself. He had his arm around my waist, leading me towards the village gates, but I was the one keeping him by my side.

And I fully intended to make sure that by my side was where he stayed.

"You sure it's safe to stay here?" Natsu asked.

"Konoha forces wiped out the Akatsuki members we didn't get to," Sasuke pointed out. "Besides, we're going straight to the Hokage to warn her that Tobi is still on the loose. They already have several of their best looking for him anyways, so it's only a matter of time before he's caught. I think we'll be fine."

"True, but I was actually talking about Sakura."

I blinked, looking as confused as I felt. If they were safe in Konoha, why wouldn't I be as well? Even Sasuke looked confused.

"Why wouldn't I be safe here?" I asked.

"Well, you did miss Ino's wedding."

I stopped walking.

"Oh shit."


	22. Life, Ever After

And now, the stereotypical ending. You know, the part where I tell you all about how, after all the crap we had to go through, we finally get a good ending. Well, for a while anyways. Because, let's face it, nothing lasts forever. But since I'm determined to end this on a high note, we won't focus on that.

Let's start with Naruto. He was Kage while Sasuke was looking for me. Instead of being the power mad, listen-to-me-because-you-have-to, haha-I'm-in-charge kind of Kage we all expected him to be, he was actually very good. So Sasuke made him the second in command on the new Council, and official advisor to the Kage. He also got the job of deciding what the old Council's punishment should be (at that, Naruto _did_ turn into the power mad egomaniac and watched them squirm. I had taught him well.).

And since there was no mentioning Naruto without having Hinata in there somewhere, we go to her next. Hinata made an excellent addition to the Council, so she was dubbed official liaison between Sasuke and the rest of the Hyuuga clan. Which put her higher up on the rank ladder than her father. Surprisingly, Hiashi was very pleased with this. I don't know how they find the time, but in between their booming political career, Hinata and Naruto raise their twins, Yuka and Yuri, who are purple haired personality clones of their father.

Naruto found himself wondering out loud the other day why he was so tired. Neji just snickered.

Speaking of Neji, he got another chance at parenthood with his six month old son, Eiji. He's also spoiling that kid rotten. When he's not doing that, Neji works on the Council, mainly with Hyuuga matters, but he's started to take on other tasks. He did away with the separation in the Hyuuga clan so that, instead of being two different parts, they were one whole clan. Hinata, head of the clan, signed everything and sent it off to Sasuke, who approved it immediately.

Tenten, also on the Council, thinks Eiji will rule the world one day. He's only six months old, but he's already established that he's the genius in his house, and the boss. Not that Tenten minds. Like mother like son, as they say. (And between you and me, with the way Tenten's back has been hurting her and her stomach has been upset, I think she's about to have another genius on her hands.)

With everything settled down (for the time being), Sasuke wasted no time in arranging for members of Councils in other countries to become diplomats of ours. Shikamaru became the Leaf contact, and he travels up to Sound often to "check on things". While he "checks on things", Ino visits me. Once she got pregnant, and forgave me for missing her wedding, she insisted in having no one but me as her doctor. Tsunade had no problem agreeing to that and manages to boss me around from a different country via my best friend. She also got to tell me that Tobi, the only Akatsuki alive, was killed by Temari and her new boyfriend, whose name I didn't get.

Gaara was very pleased about Tobi getting killed. Finding out about Temari's boyfriend? Not so much.

Yumi and Kane got very close very quickly. They married a few months after I left. Yumi proved to be very fertile, giving birth to triplets with her first pregnancy, and twins the next time around. She suspects she's going to have more than three this time, but she can't be sure yet. I'm waiting for her to have sextuplets. Sasuke is seriously thinking about giving them their own wing of the Manor.

Kanni is still head of nursing, but she finds time to go to the council meetings every now and then. (Yumi was going to be on the Council as well, but she seems to stay pregnant, so she acts as an advisor. Kane took her place as actual Council Member.)

Natsu is on the Council as well. He's loving it. He's third in command, but Naruto acts like he's on equal footing with him, so he gets to make a lot of decisions. He's so popular that you'd think he was the head of the operation, but he's not. It's good that people like him, but I'm afraid it'll go to his head.

Anko became Natsu's fashion advisor after he went to a political shindig in a formal Yukata that was about five inches too short and horribly stained. I gladly handed her off. Natsu wanted to kill me briefly, but they seemed to have reached some sort of truce. Natsu gets to where whatever he wants around the Manor and to all casual get-togethers, but Anko plans all the outfits for the important stuff and he wears it, no matter what. It seems to be working just fine for both parties.

And now, me.

And my eight months pregnant and counting belly. I haven't seen my toes in a while. Sasuke and I decided to wait until the baby is born to find out what it is, but, somehow, I just know it's a girl. Sasuke seems to be following my line of thinking- he wanted to paint the nursery a very girly shade of purple. It wasn't gender neutral though, so I nipped it in the bud. It took us three months, but we settled on a color. Purple and pink were out. Red, too boyish. Blue, too complicated (some shades just for boys, others for girls). Yellow, not gender neutral no matter what anyone said. Black, obviously not. Green, same as blue.

So the nursery is white, with simple (read: expensive) wood furniture. We have decorations on standby so when the baby gets home, we can decorate accordingly.

Names weren't as difficult to pick out. We both agreed on Mitsuko for a girl as soon as we found it in the baby names book I stole from Yumi, who'd read through it so many times she knew every name by heart. It was simple, didn't have any hidden meanings, and we hadn't met anyone named Mitsuko yet, so the girl name was picked.

If it was a boy, we were going to name him Itachi. For obvious reasons.

So there you have it. We dealt with the crap life threw at us and ended up pretty happy. Yeah, it was hard, but we got through it. We dealt with it, and look at us now. Our families, our friends- all safe, healthy, and happy. We can't live happily forever, or even forever, so this isn't going to end with the whole fairytale 'they lived happily ever after as they rode off into the sunset'. I mean, come on.

But we will deal with, and live, life.

Life, ever after.

**End**


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